Conspiracy
by Nature9000
Summary: Jade reluctantly agrees to befriend the Vega family on Beck's urging, and in time, she begins to sense something terribly wrong with the family. One for mysteries and investigation, she discovers a dark truth behind the family's near-invisible patriarch, but could this investigation be too much for her to solve? Can Jade help the women, or is she too close to the fire?
1. Something is Amiss

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Thought I'd give you another little semi-investigative fiction, this one primarily in Jade's perspective and it's taking place early on. Circa the first few episodes-there are some reasons due to the plot of the story that doing it during the years of the show's progression would not make a lot of sense.

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><p>Chapter 1 (Something is Amiss)<p>

_"I will destroy every bit of your life, piece by piece. I will take your career, I will take your wife and your daughters, and if you ever try to get them back from me…I will bring the wrath of hell on your siblings, your parents, your aunts and uncles, and every member of your family. Then I make you watch as I kill your wife and children."_

"I can't believe you're making us visit them so often," Jade muttered uncomfortably. She walked behind Beck, meeting up with his good friend Andre, her friend Cat, and cousin Robbie at the Vega family's home. "The girl was flirting with you, and you know it bothers me, so why-"

"That was weeks ago, Jade. Can we drop it?" Beck stopped on the porch and stared at her with an annoyed glare. "Besides, she's a new student and she needs friends." She still found it strange because Beck never just became friends with random girls that had crushes on him. "That, and mom wants us to be friends with her for some reason. I don't bother asking."

"What the hell do your parents care?" He responded with a shrug and hit the doorbell. "Maybe you're right, maybe I'm just letting paranoia run away with me. Tori's friends with Andre and Cat, so what can it hurt?" The door opened and Tori appeared in red flannel pants, and a pink shirt. She raised an eyebrow and scowled at the girl. "Seriously Vega? You have friends over and that's what you're wearing?"

"Be nice," Beck warned. Jade rolled her eyes and entered the house while flinging her hair over her shoulder.

Andre, Cat, and Robbie were seated around the table with sandwiches on plates before them. The counter had deli meats, cheese, and open bags of Orowheat bread sitting on the surface.

She was about to comment on the bread, but stopped when she heard two men talking. When she looked to the wall behind the counter, she saw Mr. Vega leaving with another man wearing a suit. He had a similar hairstyle as David, but his hair was greyer, and he was an inch shorter. "Congrats on another promotion," the man said. Jade noticed his shoulders dropping and his face was tense despite the tiny smile.

"Thanks Gary," David replied, "It means a lot coming from you." Gary looked at the girls, then to Holly on the couch, and parted his lips. David brought his hand down to the man's shoulder, causing him to flinch. "So Detective, I guess you'll be calling me Commander Vega from now on."

Jade stepped to the side as the two men approached the door. "Sure." She turned her head and watched Gary step outside. David put his hand on the door frame and pointed at him with a wink and a smirk.

"Keep it up Gary, you'll be a Sergeant again someday. It's always been a shame when you lost that Lieutenant promotion."

"Yeah Dave. Sure." Gary smiled politely at the others and Holly looked up to him with a lingering gaze. David closed the door and turned to the others.

"The rest of your friends showed up, Tori? Play nice." Tori smiled at him and watched him walk back to the study.

Ever since they started hanging out with Tori, she had a strange feeling about their father. The man was rarely present, and whenever he was around, he didn't seem to talk to his family.

This Gary she'd seen once or twice before, it looked like there was something between him and Mrs. Vega that made Jade think the woman could be cheating on her family. Since there wasn't proof of this, she didn't want to ask, because that was an assumption she didn't need to make.

"You have a very strange family," Jade mumbled. Tori put her hands to her hips and turned to Jade. Tori's foot tapped on the ground and her eyes squinted. Jade threw her hands up and peaked her shoulders. "I'm only saying, your relatives are weird."

"What do you mean?"

Aside from Trina clearly acting up for attention, which made sense seeing as how the girls didn't get any attention from their parents, there was David's peculiar ability to be entirely invisible from his family. "They certainly don't act normal. Where's your sister?" Tori folded her arms and looked to the stairs with a shrug.

"She heard you guys were coming and went to her room. You rag on her so much that she doesn't want to be around you. I don't blame her. She may be a bit off, but she's my sister…" Jade exhaled and followed Tori's gaze. "Anyway, want me to make a sandwich for you?"

"I got it."

They started to play a game of poker, and all the while, Jade wondered what it was that David was doing in his study. The door was still shut, and she could hear nothing coming from inside, even when she walked by with the intention of trying to listen for something.

Holly remained on the couch. She had a book in her lap, her legs were crossed and her shoulders were sloped. Rather than reading the book, her unwavering gaze had been focused on the blank television as though it had been on for the past hour.

"Where's the bathroom?" Jade stood from the table and dusted off her skirt. Without looking from the cards, Tori swept her arm through the air and pointed to the stairs.

Jade climbed them, and with each step, the pit in her stomach grew. She mulled over Tori's words regarding Trina and felt a slight bit of guilt over this girl feeling ostracized by the group. "Beck is always getting onto me about being overly harsh to people, so maybe I should be more open to giving a damn…"

In truth, she only disliked Trina because it was Trina that pushed Tori to attend and not give up on Hollywood Arts. It was her own jealousy that was driving her insane and treating Trina like a piece of trash rather than human, when it was Tori who not only flirted but kissed Beck clearly to spite her.

Her fingers slid along the bathroom door as she bypassed it. When she approached Trina's door, she hesitated. The door was cracked open and the seventeen year old was inside on her bed.

"Trina?" Jade pushed the door and entered quietly. Her eyes moved to a photograph on the end table beside the bed. It was of two very young girls on side of their mother, holding Holly's hand as she guided them through a parking lot. "Hey Vega, how old are you in that picture?"

"Five. Tori's three." Her heart stopped and Trina rolled onto her back. She'd assumed Trina was asleep, and only asked out loud to say her thought to herself. "I hate the picture, to be honest." Trina sat up and pressed her back against the headboard.

"You hate it?" She was perplexed by the sudden admission, as though the picture were just a fleeting annoyance in Trina's life. She gazed at the photo more closely, all three women had their backs to the camera. The older daughter had both feet off the ground as if she were skipping, while the younger was looking up at their mother. Holly was glancing over her shoulder. "It looks like a fine picture to me."

"Dad wants it there. I don't know why, he just does." Trina crossed her arms and looked up at her. "So what did you want? I told Tori I didn't want to be bothered by you guys, since apparently I do nothing but bother you."

The scorn cut into Jade, causing her to cringe. "I know." She raised her hands defensively, then dropped them like a crashing wave. "Listen I just wanted to apologize. I get out of hand sometimes-"

"Yeah why don't you like me?" Trina's eyes slanted and like arrows they pierced Jade's still heart. "Not that I care that you like me or not, but what the hell did I ever do to you?"

"Nothing. You did nothing." She took a step forward, but hesitated when Trina's glare sharpened. "I was angry with you because you encouraged Tori to keep trying at Hollywood Arts." Trina scoffed and threw her head back, laughing out once.

"You hate me because I was being a sister. Wow, that says a lot about you." Jade wanted to bite back, but she resisted the urge. "Now here's something else. I don't like you. This family's already screwed up enough as it is, has been since I was a little girl, and we don't need judgmental little people like you coming in and treating me or my sister like shit. Okay?"

"I-I know, I'm just-"

"You're 'sorry'. That's what so many people say, and that's just a word. They never mean it." She closed her eyebrows together and took a step back. This wasn't about her, it couldn't be. "Anyway, I shouldn't be snapping your head off so-could you just leave me alone please?"

"Yeah."

Jade turned to leave and stopped short of the door when Trina spoke up. "I guess you're going to go and make fun of me to my sister some more? You know the only reason she agrees with you guys and calls me crazy too is so she can please you, right?" She started to turn her head, pouting her lower lip as she tried to glance over her shoulder.

"She wants friends and attention just as much, so don't even think she's not trying to kiss up to you guys when she says something bad about me."

"It shouldn't be so hard for you guys to make friends."

"You don't know our dad very well, do you?"

Jade flinched and left the room almost immediately. Before entering the bathroom, she stopped to look at the open door across the hall. "Tori's room," Jade whispered. At Tori's bedside was the same photograph Trina had. It gave off a creepy vibe, but Jade didn't know what was so odd about it. "So their dad likes it, who cares?"

When she entered the bathroom, the same framed photo was on the white marble countertop. She focused once more on it and carefully picked up the photo. Taking a closer look, she could see that Holly's brow was furrowed and her lips were parted briefly. Her eyes focused on the camera at just the right moment to make it seem like she was looking at the camera man, but seeing her hurried and uncomfortable pose, Jade was able to deduce that Holly was trying to get into the shop as fast as she could.

She pursed her lips and ran her thumb over the glass, tracing Holly's face. "So weird. She's pulling the girls too."

Someone cleared their throat, causing her head to jolt back. David was standing outside the door, his right hand was pressed against the frame and his eyes shifted from her face towards the photo in her hand. "Tori's friends aren't allowed upstairs, Jade."

"Sorry sir, I asked where the bathroom was and Tori pointed to the stairs."

"Okay. Well hurry on up and head downstairs, please." She felt a lump grow in her throat and nodded. David pulled his hand away from the frame after a moment and started for the stairs.

With that, Jade quickly set the photo down and shut the bathroom door.

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><p>Well, what are you thinking? Does David seem sketchy, and why do Beck's parents want him to befriend the Vega's? Is Beck to be trusted, does he even know anything? What is up with that photo?<p> 


	2. Follow the Hunch

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: So I thought I'd bring you chapter two, give you a little something more to see

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><p>Chapter 2 (Following the Hunch)<p>

"I don't know, Beck." Jade curled up beside him on his couch and tucked her legs beneath her. "Something didn't feel right about them. I'm just wondering if there's something wrong." Beck chuckled at her and draped his arm around her shoulders.

"I know how you are. You always love to look into things and figure a mystery behind everything." She pursed her lips and turned her eyes up to his. "But I'm telling you, they seem perfectly fine to me." She turned away from him and stared at the television.

One of Beck's favorite action films was playing, but Jade couldn't focus. Normally she didn't care for action films, but was able to push through them regardless. This time, the chilling photograph she'd seen at the Vega house was etched eternally on her mind.

"There was a photo." Beck's head fell back on the couch and a loud groan left his lips. "Mrs. Vega and the girls when they were really young. It was taken in a parking lot with them hurrying into some store, she was looking back and seemed to be really upset."

"It's nothing, Jade." He brought his head up and moved his left ankle onto his right knee. "Is this punishment for making you spend time with them?"

"No, I-" She stopped herself and shook her head. Beck was only going to hear what he wanted, he wasn't going to understand the strangeness that she had felt. She'd show him, though. One way or another, she was going to get him to see something wasn't right with their newest friends.

His arm flexed around her shoulders and he glanced casually at her. "Plus Jade, if there is something wrong with them, it isn't our place to snoop around." She closed her hands on top of her legs and bowed her head.

Beck was right, and he spoke from experience. There had been more than one time in the past when her desire to chase the unknown led both of them into trouble.

The next morning she approached Mr. Sikowitz's desk with a stack of books. Each of them written by Michael Connelly. They were the Harry Bosch detective series. Each book in the series had been a gift from Sikowitz; he saw her love of the investigative and gave her a book, then another when she finished reading the one she had.

Tearfully she dropped the stack onto Sikowitz's desk, causing his eyes to dart up from the homework he was grading. "Is something the matter, Jade?"

"When I was younger, I thought my mom's boss was up to no good, and I ended up getting her fired." Sikowitz carefully removed his reading glasses as though they'd shatter with the slightest touch. "When I was thirteen my friend told me someone was stealing money from the cash register at her job-I looked into it and got her coworker fired, which led to losing a good friend. I'm giving up on these novels because I don't want to lose anyone else…"

"I thought that you enjoyed mystery and discovering the unknown. Tell me-" His chest expanded and his hand lowered to the desk. "When you followed your hunches, were they right?" She looked down to the novels and grabbed her hands behind her back.

"Mom's boss was sleeping with the secretary, I was too young to realize that what I saw wasn't consensual…so when I talked to mom, she confronted the man and his superior." Since the secretary at the job didn't report what was happening, it was just the word of a seven year old girl against a grown man, so her mother was penalized for it.

"And my friend's coworker was stealing from the job, so they were fired." She crossed her arms and furrowed her brow. "I'm not a police officer, so I should know my place."

"If you have a hunch, you should follow it." He brought his hands up and tapped his fingertips together. "The friend you lost because of a coworker being fired says nothing besides that friend not being somebody worth your time…" His eyes dropped from her gaze and studied the books momentarily. "And your mother did the right thing."

"She did find another job." She smiled vaguely and lifted her shoulders. "I just, I just don't want to get into trouble or piss anyone off."

"Well you will irritate somebody one way or the other. It's a fact of life, you can't please everybody. It's about doing what's right, and what's in here." His hand moved over his heart and Jade started to feel more comfortable in what he was saying. "That's not to say that you shouldn't go to the authorities when you find something out, definitely go to the authority because they'll be able to do something about it."

"Yeah…"

She watched his right hand move over the books and point down at the stack. Her stomach swirled with emotion and a wave of heat swept across her. The thought of giving up her favorite series was like a knife to the gut.

"What would Bosch do, Jade? Would he give up because his investigation pissed someone off?"

He wouldn't, and that's why she loved the series so much. He was very much a rogue cop, solving crimes and doing what was right, even if it meant pissing off the department he worked with.

"He'd follow up on his hunch. He'd find the truth somewhere. He'd figure out what to do…" A flicker of pride shone in her teacher's eyes. Her heart leapt in her chest and she fought back the compelling urge to hug her instructor. "So I should follow up on my hunch, even though I know my boyfriend would rather I left it alone…"

Sikowitz wrinkled his nose and lowered his hands. "Well, why does he want you leaving it alone?" She tucked a strand of hair over her ear and shrugged.

"He thinks there's nothing wrong, so he thinks it would just be stepping on someone's toes." Sikowitz stood up and grabbed the book on the top of the stack. He walked around the desk and handed the book to her like an offering.

Jade accepted it and clutched it firmly with both hands as though it would fly away. "When your hero tries to solve something, does everyone around him think that it is worthwhile? Does that thought stop him in any way?"

"No. He's bound determined to do the right thing, to bring justice to the victims. There's always someone that thinks it's a waste of time, but he keeps going." She peered down at the novel and furrowed her brow. It seemed to be calling out to her, telling her not to give up. The desire to push ahead burned at her fingertips. "Something just isn't right."

"Just remember that if you get too deep, you can always go to the authority."

Jade lifted her head and recalled the stern look on David's face. Her body froze to the visual of the man's icy glare. "What if-what if the bad guy is the authority?"

"Something I've learned." Sikowitz returned to his chair, stepping beside it. His hand lowered to the arm of the chair and his eyebrow rose. "There is always somebody higher, there is always someone more powerful. No matter what, no matter who it is you're after, the truth will present itself at some point. When it does, then you know what you have to do."

"Keep looking?"

"Precisely." He brought his hand to his beard and slid his fingers down the scrubby hair. "Think about your suspicions, think about your clues."

She didn't want to tell him too much, especially because it might not be anything. "The truth, Mr. Sikowitz, is that it might not be anything. There might be nothing wrong."

"Aha." He waved his hand, flailing his fingers before pointing at her. "But do _you_ believe that, Miss Jade?" Her fingers tightened on the book and she lifted her hand up, closing it in front of her aching chest. "You feel something is wrong for a reason. So do you believe there is absolutely nothing about the way you feel?"

She released a swift breath and took a step closer to the desk. "No." He dropped his hand and smiled at her. "It-There's this photo…" She trailed off and bowed her head momentarily. "A mother and two young girls rushing into a store, the mother's looking back-in distress, like she thinks she's being followed and she has to protect her children. That same photo is framed, and in at least three rooms of a house."

"I see." He sat down and curled a finger beneath his lower lip. "A mother and her daughters. Do you know the mother and girls?"

"Yes."

"How do they act?"

"Odd…" She pulled the book to her stomach and wrapped her forearms around it. She watched as Sikowitz turned in his swivel chair, facing her sideways and looking off at the wall, deep in thought. "The mom's distant. Last night she stared at the television for hours, but nothing was playing. The older girl acts out for attention, but when she's alone…she prefers it, it seems. The younger is blissful, like she's unaware, and if she is aware something is wrong, she doesn't seem like she would acknowledge it…"

"Why do you feel they act this way?"

"There might be something wrong with the dad. He's a little creepy." As if the term was enough to describe the suspicious behavior of the family patriarch. David sauntered about like a lion waiting to sink his claws into his prey. Every single look from his watchful eyes could light a person aflame. "Maybe dangerous, and that's coming from me."

"Is this something that a fifteen year old girl can or should handle alone?"

She lowered the book a bit as Sikowitz leaned upright. The bristles of his beard spewed outward as his nostrils flared. "No." She needed to be honest with him, despite the gnawing feeling that he could try and discourage her. "If there really is something wrong, then it involves an entire family, and it isn't something a fifteen year old should handle…but I'm going to follow my hunch, Mr. Sikowitz."

"At least you're honest. I wouldn't ask anything more or less. Just be careful, and remember if you get in too deep, pull back and give it to someone that can handle it." He approved of her with a subtle nod and she turned to be on her way. "Jade. You can pick up the rest of your books after class." Her heart skipped and she stopped suddenly at the door. "I know you weren't really planning on giving up."

"No sir."

When she stepped into the hall, she was overcome with the pungent smell of lilac perfume. She curled her lips and watched as Tori Vega made her way down the hall. The girl was almost skipping, and her long brown hair swayed with each step.

"Hey Jade!" The girl's crisp, golden dress flayed out as a flag once Tori came to a stop before her. Hoping to be polite, she smiled and held back her scathing opinion regarding Tori's choice of perfume. "What were you talking to Mr. Sikowitz about?"

The scent continued to stab Jade's nostrils and her eyes, attempting to force out her tears. She clenched her teeth and spoke slowly. "Class. What are you doing?"

"I was just stopping by Trina's class." Jade turned her head in the way Tori had come from. Down there the hall, the smell of sweat would billow out and overtake her if she got too close. "You know she's into martial arts, right?"

"She's athletic?" Of course, only athletes could get down that hall without plugging their nose. How a person like Tori managed to get through there, she couldn't figure out.

"You should watch her spar sometime, she's great. She runs track too, but doesn't do much else. Dad _says_ he's proud, I don't see why not." Jade's eyes darted back to Tori. A sudden spark of curiosity struck her and she was going to prompt Tori to talk more about her dad, but the girl did so without her speaking up. "Did you know Dad was on the baseball team in college?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, he and Mr. Richardson." She tilted her head and watched Tori scratch the side of her jaw. "Gary. He's the guy you see around sometimes-Dad's friend. They were friends in college. Mr. Richardson always got to play though, Dad was usually in the benches."

"Oh. Did they work together?"

"Yeah, they were partners a long time ago. Both of them started out as Officers. Mr. Richardson got promoted to Detective, then Sergeant a few years before Dad." That made very little sense to her, because according to the conversation she heard between the two men, Gary was still just a detective.

"But…your dad's like the Police Commander now, and Mr. Richardson's a detective."

"Yeah, something happened, but I don't know." David may have had a slow rise, but this tale left a bad taste in her mouth. "Mr. Richardson was in line to be a Police Lieutenant a little more than ten years ago, but Dad got the promotion and he got demoted down to Detective."

She looked down to the novel in her hand and questioned what Harry Bosch might think about it. _"Suspicious, Mr. Bosch?"_ She looked back in the direction of the athletic area and furrowed her brow. "How's the relationship with Trina and your dad?"

"Them?" Tori followed her gaze and Jade glanced back to the girl. Tori's once peaked shoulders had fallen suddenly and her hands were closed beside her hips. She had a tight-lipped expression and her forehead was tensing. "They um, they don't really get along. It isn't something I feel like talking about."

"Say no more." Jade raised a hand and Tori's body finally relaxed. "Anyway, were you going to see Sikowitz?"

"Yes. See you in class." Tori breezed past her like a fleeting gust of wind, leaving Jade alone with the stench of lilac still surrounding her like a poisonous mist.

She narrowed her eyes and brought her hand to her chin, humming to herself while mulling over Tori's words. "Trina doesn't get along with her dad, and is into martial arts-a good way to relieve stress." It made her wonder just how strained was the relationship between father and daughter, and judging how Holly seemed the other day, how was the relationship between husband and wife?

Looking back into Sikowitz's classroom, she caught a sight that stilled her heart. Behind the man was a framed certificate she'd never noticed before. It commemorated a career of a Private Investigator. Her eyebrows rose high above her eyes and her lips parted.

"He was a PI before teaching?" With this understanding, she could see why he seemed to encourage her to follow through on whatever feeling she had regarding a subject. Her lips curled into a bright smirk and she watched as Sikowitz's eyes drifted up from the desk and onto her, where he exchanged a similar smirk.

"Okay Mr. Sikowitz," she whispered, "I'll keep following that lead. Definitely."

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><p>So what are your thoughts? It seems good that Sikowitz is able to inspire her to keep on moving. Are you wondering the same, regarding the relationships with Mr. Vega? What of Tori's tale regarding the promotions, do you think there's something more to that? It seems Gary and David were close friends, and it also seems that Gary was always the one getting glory, does that raise any suspicions? Also, do you think Sikowitz might be able to help Jade out in the long run?<p> 


	3. Sister's Keeper

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

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><p>Chapter 3 (Sister's Keeper)<p>

Jade cursed her luck upon entering the athlete's hallway. It was as though she were a glutton for punishment, since the stench of the lilac perfume was now dwarfed by the rancid cloud of sweat that entered her nostrils.

The more she walked, the more she could hear the sounds of grunting, yelling, and mental clacking against metal. She peered into the weight room and her nose crinkled as the mist of sweat rushed against her like a tornado-paralyzing her.

"Excuse me?" She stuttered. Several of the men and women working out were wearing muscle shirts and knee length shorts, and their clothing was drenched in sweat. She asked for attention again when on one responded, and once more, she was ignored.

"You're one of those singers, aren't you?" She looked to her right and saw a boy her age setting on a workout bench. His white t-shirt hung loosely from his neck, and folded into his red jogging pants. "They don't pay attention to anyone that doesn't belong in this hall. It's more of a 'we'll treat you how you treat us' type of thing."

She turned towards him and eyed this man closely. His straw-colored hair was parted down the middle and it swept down over his forehead while bending towards his dark eyes. "Names Mick, what are you here for?"

"How are they treated?" She already knew part of the answer. Most singers and actors didn't count athleticism as a talent, and therefore thought themselves better than the athletes. So anyone that was an athlete was ridiculed, mocked, and made to feel like they did not belong at the school. "Ignored, mostly?"

"Yep." Mick grabbed the white towel around his neck and swept it off his shoulders. "Can't say I blame them." He stood up and extended his hand. She studied it closely and withheld her anxious whimper when she saw the glossy coating around his hand that shimmered in the sunlight. "Go ahead, shake my hand. You're here for information, right?"

"Sort of." She took a deep breath and gripped his hand firmly. A sudden cringe shot through her body as the feel of cold sweat engulfed her. Mick's lip turned to a smirk and she pulled her hand back, giving it a shake. "I'm Jade. I was just looking for the martial arts room. I'm looking for Trina."

"Vega? She's not training in the martial arts room right now, she's out on the track field." Mick stepped outside and pointed down the hall. "Take a right, keep going, and the door outside will be right in front of you."

"Thanks." She ran her hand on her pants and turned away as the man laughed.

"Bathroom's first door on the left, by the way. You can wash your hands there." She hurried off, shaking her head when she heard the man mutter something about singers.

The outside air was fresh and crisp, and it allowed her to take a full breath to cleanse her lungs of the pollution inside. Beyond the plains of freshly cut grass and the grey, paved path, was a large wire fence around a black track court.

Trina was at the starting line, in a gym outfit that Jade had never seen this girl in before. She bore a tight-fitting purple tank and black jogging pants with a single red stripe going down the sides. Her thick brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail that bounced with each stretch that the girl performed.

She stood beside the bleachers and watched the intensity of the stretches. Trina was currently doing a split and was bending forward over her right leg, then stretching her arms out to grab her foot.

After several seconds, Trina switched legs. Then she stood and stretched her arms out above her head as though performing some sort of dance.

Jade approached her, and when she was within three feet behind Trina, she saw the girl's muscles tense. She raised her hand and started to call out, but was interrupted by a sudden flash of movement. Her body sailed through the air her shock kept her from feeling when she crashed into the patch of grass nearby.

"Don't touch me!"

"Trina, it's just me! Jade!" Her eyes flew open and she put her hands before her face. Trina was frozen above her, clenching Jade's shirt with her left hand and holding her right fist back, ready to strike. Trina's nostrils flared open, her eyes were wide, and her chest was heaving with a frenzied pant. "What the hell, Trina?"

"Do not come up behind me." Trina's grip loosened, but her muscles remained tense. Her voice came out strong and harsh, much like her actions. Jade finally felt the pain in her body, but she pushed it aside enough to force herself back to her feet. "What do you want, Jade?"

"I only wanted to talk." Jade watched the woman walk to the bleachers and grab a bottle of water that was beside a neatly folded towel. She had never before seen Trina react in this manner, but it was to be noted that she hadn't taken much time to get to know or understand the girl. "I'm sorry if I startled you, Trina. Why so sensitive about someone coming up behind you?"

"Why would anybody be sensitive about that, Jade? You can't defend your backside as well as you can defend your front." There was a casual air and aura of nonchalance to Trina's voice, and while she spoke in soft tones, they came out louder than the sound of a jackhammer striking concrete.

There was something more to it, but Jade knew better than to pry. It wasn't information that Trina would be revealing anytime soon. "Well anyway, I was just talking to Tori." Trina popped up the bite on the top of the bottle and brought it up above her head. She tilted her head back and let the water gush out like a stream into her mouth.

She admired the sun glinting off the clear liquid drink and caught herself drifting into a hypnotic state. Trina pulled down the bottle and her eyelids fell halfway. "Right. I wanted to mention something about her, by the way…" Jade frowned as Trina approached her. There was a dominant severity in her eyes and her shoulders were broad.

This was not the same girl she was used to seeing. Of course, she knew everyone had layers that made up the person that they were, but she never thought about how far those layers went for someone like Trina.

A lump swelled in her throat as Trina appeared to stand above her. The woman's left hand clung to her left hip and her forehead tensed in the middle while her nose crinkled like crumpling paper.

"Say what you want about me. Dis me, treat me like shit and kick me around if you want, I can handle that." Jade straightened her back and braced herself for an impending onslaught of anger. "You can call me a diva, you can call me a talentless, worthless hack, and you can even say I'm a crazy obsessed whore constantly begging for attention-and I'll let it roll off my shoulders."

Jade's heartbeat flickered and her eyebrows started to rise as Trina's glare slanted and she poked her chest with her thumb. "I don't care what you say about me. There's nothing you can say or do to hurt me, but I am Tori's big sister and I'll ask that you remember that."

"Okay?"

"That means I _will_ protect her, and I will take care of her. Whether she knows it or not, I am the one watching." Jade took a step back and watched Trina's arms gracefully glide upwards and fold over her chest. "If anybody hurts her, treats her badly, makes her cry or upsets her…they answer to me."

She would take Trina's statement into consideration. Primarily due to the context of it sounding as a promise, not a threat. "I understand." She wanted to get defensive and tell Trina off, but given that she still had questions for the woman, she bit her tongue. "I'm not used to seeing this side of you."

"Because I don't show it. Who cares? Let people see the diva that's out for attention. I won't stop people from making their own judgments-I define myself, they don't define me."

"Right, well, I just wanted to ask something…" Jade took a seat on the metal bench and crossed her legs. "Tori mentioned that you and your dad don't have the best of relationships…" Trina's brow furrowed and her torso swayed to the right.

"That matters to you, why?" Jade's lips parted and Trina brought her hand up to stare down at her nails. "I don't, by the way. What's it to you? That man isn't worth talking about."

"I know, I-"

"And why the hell are you suddenly so interested in my family?"

She had to pause there. It was difficult to explain to someone when she wasn't even sure herself. Was the fact that she was drawn to the unknown even a valid enough point?

"I can't actually explain. I just…I don't know."

"Then do yourself a favor and butt out." Trina's words were like a punch to the gut, flooring her in an instant. Trina dropped her arms and narrowed her eyes. "That man doesn't exactly take kindly to strong-minded women challenging him." Trina's muscles tensed and her lips twisted into a scowl. "That's your last warning."

Trina walked past her, swaying her clenched fists like curtains breezing in the wind. Jade twisted partially and called out to the woman, causing Trina to stop in her tracks. "What's wrong with your father?" Trina turned her gaze skywards and threw out a virulent scoff.

"What's wrong with my father? I don't know, it depends who you're talking about. The man in my dreams, or the man in my nightmares." Jade drew in a sharp breath and watched Trina move to the starting line.

Trina spread her legs apart and bent forward, touching her fingertips to the pavement. She threw her head back and her ponytail sailed the air, landing firmly in the middle of her shoulder blades.

"I've nothing more to say, Jade. You may as well go."

"I just want to find the truth."

"Truth? The truth?" Trina laughed once and looked ahead of her. "You couldn't handle it…"

In the blink of an eye, Trina was gone. Jade was amazed by the girl's speed, but she didn't stick around to watch Trina race around the track. Chances were very likely Trina wanted her gone.

Whatever it was eating away at this girl, Jade had to know. She wasn't going to give up. She liked seeing the harder, stronger and more dominant force in Trina as opposed to the girl she pretended to be in front of the friends or out in public.

"I wonder why she hides her serious nature so much. It's like she's afraid to show it or something." She left the fenced in area with haste and started down the path. Focusing on Mr. Vega brought a burning sensation to her chest and left a foul taste in her mouth.

"What are you doing?" Tori's voice startled her and caused her to flinch. She looked to the right and saw the girl standing with her back straight and pressed against an oak tree. Tori's left knee was bent and her foot was against the tree, her arms were crossed, and her brown hair had fallen before her narrow and anxious gaze. "Why are you bothering my sister?"

"I just had a few questions-"

"It isn't your place." Tori pushed herself from the tree and swept her bangs over her head. Her brown eyes looked like mud with the glaze of water forming at her eyelids. "Leave Trina alone, Jade. She hasn't done anything to you."

"But I wasn't-"

"And you don't know our family. You don't know what's going on, so quit asking questions. There is absolutely nothing going on…" Tori flipped her hair over her right shoulder and looked at the track.

Tori's lower lip was pouted and her concerned eyes seemed to focus on her sister. Her body grew very still and her muscles tensed. This was the second time Tori said nothing was going on, but Jade knew the girl was simply trying to deflect her.

Even now, it was clear Tori was trying to protect the elder sister. Jade wasn't sure what it was she was protecting Trina from, but there was a clear need to keep her sister from harm.

Whatever haunted this family terrified her to the point she questioned taking the women and running. "If there's something going on, Tori…"

"Trina was hurt once because of me, I'm not letting her be hurt again." Tori closed her lips together and shot a glare at Jade. "So stop snooping around things that you don't know, because the more you do…" Tori's voice trailed off and ended with a tremble. "I don't mind you being friends, but nothing more. You're going to cause something terrible to happen-Dad doesn't like people asking a lot of questions about him."

"Tori?"

"No. Just cut it out, because you can't do anything." Tori's voice started to rise, and each word beat against Jade's heart like a sledgehammer. "You can't do a damn thing, so leave our family alone."

"I'm not doing anything to Trina, Tori!"

"I know that!" Jade's body jerked back and she stammered as Tori approached her. "Do you think I don't know that? As far as you're concerned, there's nothing going on, so leave well enough alone. Please."

Jade held her breath and watched as Tori walked towards the track field. She released her breath and started for the school building. "Okay…" These girls thought they were responsible for one another, and this concerned Jade greatly. However, any further investigation was going to have to be done without Trina and Tori actually noticing, otherwise they would very likely shoot her down for whatever fears were on their minds.

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><p>So what are you thinking? There's a lot to consider here, both girls appear to live in a state of terror but there's still much we don't know. Do bear in mind that there's a lot to their emotional and mental states, don't assume one to be unaware of something if they act like something doesn't exist. Case in point: Tori knows everything that is wrong with her family, but she's not going to tell somebody she just met.<p> 


	4. Suspicious Behaviors

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: For those of you who are curious, I am a Criminal Justice major and right now I'm taking Profiling Criminal Behaviors and Judicial Systems and Practices. Speaking of which, I have some projects I need to be working on in those, and something unrelated that is finally coming out that I've been looking forward to...So things might slow up a bit over the next couple of weeks, but hopefully not much. Without further ado, enjoy the chapter

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><p>Chapter 4 (Suspicious Behaviors)<p>

Jade sat at her kitchen table, delighting in the smell of steak drifting through the air. Her father was grilling them, which was an amazing treat and surprise, since the man was often too busy to spend a lot of time with her. "Of course I knew them," Henry said, "We were all friends in Senior year of high school. Gary, David and myself. Of course, your boyfriend's mother was a part of our little group too."

It was good that her father knew David and Gary at one point, because he could offer some story about them. "What were they like?" She took the steak sauce and felt a rumble in her stomach when looking to the steaks. "Gary and David. Tori seems to say they were friends once."

"That's putting it mildly." Henry slipped one of the steaks onto the plate and looked over his shoulder. "They were friends before any of us knew them, always competing with each other. Playful competition." Henry walked over to the table and set the plate down in front of Jade. "I think David took some of that competition to heart, though."

Jade poked the mashed potatoes with her spoon, admiring for the moment how creamy they were. Satisfied, she pulled her spoon from them and looked up to her father. "What do you mean he took it to heart?" Henry's face went long and his eyes closed.

"I don't know." His shoulders sank and a sigh left his lips. "That group…David, Gary, Rebecca, and even Denise and Lanie…they were all strange." Denise was Andre's mother and Lanie was Robbie's mother. Jade hadn't heard much of either women, aside from some apparent abandonment issues. "Gary was good at a lot of things. He and David were big on sports, and both went to play baseball when we all got into college, but Gary was the one that got to play all the games and he was the one that got all the girls flocking to him. I think David was a little jealous."

"Of Mr. Richardson?" It was hard to believe since she never saw Gary doing much more than moping about the Vega home when he visited. "Mr. Vega seems like he'd be the superstar-hell, he's even the police commander now."

Henry moved his hand towards his cleft chin and hummed out loud. "I always thought Gary deserved that. He and David, I think had a falling out sometime in the end of college-Rebecca, Lanie and Denise rallied behind David if I remember right."

Her father didn't appear to remember much, and he was squinting as though trying to search his memories for an answer. "So I guess you don't remember what the fight was about?" She stirred her potatoes and furrowed her brow at her dad. "Didn't they patch things up?"

"I think they did, because both of them went into law enforcement together, but I haven't kept in touch with them enough to know what's been going on with them since then."

Now that she knew this tidbit of her father's past relationship with both men, she had to know if he ever interacted with Holly. "What about Mrs. Vega?" Henry brought a piece of meat to his mouth and hummed while chewing. His right eyebrow rose and a wrinkle popped up from above his nose. "Have you ever met her? What was she like in the past?"

He swallowed and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "All I know is she was way out of David's league. I've never personally spoken with her. I don't know when she and David got together, though." Jade poured the steak sauce over her food and shrugged. "Because I stopped talking to him fifteen years ago when your mother was pregnant with you, and he was single then."

She was in the process of moving food to her mouth, but stopped with it inches away. Her heart dropped to her stomach and she leaned upright, staring at her father with a fallen jaw. "Are you sure he was?"

"I could be wrong. Probably am, but I don't remember him being with anyone. The last I remember, he was getting drunk at. We all were celebrating your mother's pregnancy and he was drunk."

"Gary wasn't there?"

"No, I hadn't seen him in almost twenty years. I think he got tired of the group after a while, I know I did."

It was all too strange for her, so she had to deduce that her father was wrong. After all, fifteen years is still a long time to remember, and he didn't have the best memory. If David had been single fifteen years ago, then there wasn't a chance for him to be the husband and father he was now.

Still, she wanted to know more about him and about the people who knew him, so her next bet was to find out what Robbie's mother was like. She already knew Beck's mom.

Rebecca Oliver was the police commander, now in line to become the next Deputy Chief. She had a feeling Robbie's mother was a lawyer, but she wasn't sure. Andre's mother hadn't truly disappeared either, she just stopped paying mind to Andre, as far as Jade was aware. The woman was a state senator now.

If David were still friends with them, then it made Jade question how possible it could be for somebody like David to get away with murder.

Within an hour, Jade had Robbie meet up with her outside the Vega house. "My mom is actually a judge," Robbie said upon arriving. The text message she'd sent requesting him to show up asked about his mom. "Why are we here? The last I heard, Tori's a little upset with you?"

"Yeah, I plan to apologize for one." She wanted Tori to feel comfortable with her being around, and not as though she were trying to snoop around her family. She was surprised to hear Robbie's mother was a judge, but at the same time, she could have guessed as much. "I want to hang for a bit and thought you might want to as well, since you've been hanging around them too."

"Sounds good."

Jade approached the door and knocked twice. It took some time before anyone answered, and for the longest time all she heard was a bunch of clamoring. When the door opened up, Tori stood ready to greet her.

Tori's eyelids fell halfway and her lips dropped into a frown. "Jade. Robbie. How are you?" Tori's right hand was extended on the door and her muscles tensed greatly. "I wasn't expecting you…"

"I wanted to apologize for you, and we were hoping maybe we could hang. Beck is busy working on a project with Andre, and Cat's doing something with her family, so…"

Tori breathed out and dropped her hand from the door. "Come in." The girl turned her lips up as though she were relieved. Taking the offer, Jade made her way inside and looked back to see Robbie shuffling into the house.

Seated at the kitchen table was Trina, she was reclining against the wooden chair and had her elbow over the top. Her shoulders appeared hunched over, and she had her head turned. Behind her at the counter was David. He was preparing a slice of toast. "Where's Mrs. Vega at?"

"She's asleep. Mama's got a headache." Could this be the reason the family was so uncomfortable at the moment? She felt a hand on her back and looked over just in time to be guided to the couch. "Have a seat, let's play a game." David straightened himself and tapped his hand on the countertop.

"We were in the middle of a discussion," he stated curtly. "Your friends will have to wait."

"I say let her hang with them," Trina replied. Jade watched Tori's eyes grow and the girl held her breath while David turned a sharp glare onto his eldest daughter. "It isn't as though we were talking about anything important. Besides your being a lunatic, of course."

David brought his other hand down to the table and leaned forward, appearing to form an upside down U. A heavy gust fell from his lips as Trina rose from the table and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Trina," Tori whined quietly, "Don't."

"Please, what's the worst he can do? He's already done the worst."

"And I'd do it again if you're not careful," David replied gruffly, "I should hope you would learn your lesson the first time." Jade flinched and watched Trina turn a shade of white that could rival a ghoul. The woman grit her teeth and the small knob in her throat sank down for a second, then she hurried upstairs without another word. Tori ran after Trina, calling out her name, leaving Jade and Robbie alone with David.

Jade shifted uncomfortably under his icy glare. She felt a chill in the air, threatening to seep into her and strangle her of her breath. She tapped her index finger on her leg in an attempt to remind herself that she could move.

With a deep breath, she made eye contact with the man and shivered when his eyelids fell halfway. "So Mr. Vega. How um, how did you meet your wife?" He pushed himself up and dropped his hands to his sides.

"We met in college." She wanted to question that, since Henry seemed to state otherwise, but the dangerous vibe coming off this man gave her the sense that she shouldn't question anything he said.

"Cool. I heard you played baseball. Were you good?"

"Sure." David took a bite of his toast and chewed it slowly. "That's how I met Holly. She was one of the many girls that followed me around." Her heart shot up to her throat and she cupped a hand over her lips. Robbie glanced sideways at her and furrowed his brow. "

"I see. And you're a police commander now, so that must be pretty good." David bent over the counter, leaning against his left forearm and holding his toast in front of his lips.

"I was one of the best cops on the force, I rose swiftly through the ranks." His voice was calm and somewhat serene, but Jade wasn't buying it. He was either a cold and calculating liar with years of practice, or he truly believed what he was saying. "So Jade, my daughters haven't had friends come around very often. It's nice to see."

He took another bite of the toast and Jade turned her head back to him. His eyes were small and cold. They were beadier than the eyes of the puppet, Rex, and Jade was almost certain he could command death with his gaze.

David's shoulders were broader than the morning horizon and his arms looked as though they could crush her in an instant. This man, this imposing figure was but one man living in a house with three women, one of which seemed to be at his throat.

She swept her hair over her ear and her eyes darted to the stairs in pursuit of the sisters. "You work out much, Mr. Vega?" Her trembling voice was silenced by the deep and robotic voice of the patriarch.

"All the time. I have to maintain physique and control." David's eyes dropped to the half-eaten toast and he wrinkled his nose at it before glancing back up to Jade. "How is your father, by the way? I haven't seen him in several years."

"Dad's good."

She didn't want to say what Henry told her, and that was that he didn't like David enough to keep up communication. "It's a shame we drifted apart. You should tell him to give me a call sometime."

"Maybe I will."

"It would be nice to touch base with him." Jade's eyebrows rose and fell. David pushed himself from the counter and moved into his study, allowing her to finally relax. Robbie looked at her with wide eyes and a circular, fish-like mouth.

"Did you feel that tension, Jade? Frightening..." He shivered and ran his hands over his arms. "I wonder what that was all about." She shook her head and looked back to the stairs, still wondering when the girls would come back down.

She was about to go upstairs and find out what was going on, but thankfully Tori appeared at the top. The girl gripped the stair rail firmly and peered down at her and Robbie with what appeared to be a feigned smile.

"So you guys wanted to hang out?" Tori descended the stairs and looked around the room. "I'm in, but what do you want to do?"

"Maybe we should just watch a movie." Tori walked over to the couch and nodded feverishly. Whatever had been happening before they arrived, she wanted to keep Tori's mind off of it. At the same time, she couldn't help but to feel like David would be watching them, and that would make things very uncomfortable.

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><p>Well now your homework is to profile David-I'm kidding. But do tell me what your thoughts are on the chapter? Did the conversation with Henry spark any thoughts that might clue you into anything? There are three "truths" that Jade will identify that will begin to pull everything together; what happened to the girls, why David is doing what he is doing, and how is he getting away with it? The answer to may lay in what Henry said of the man, but tell me what you've been catching up on, and look out for the next chapter.<p> 


	5. Making the Case

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: I'm going to bed late...therefore waking up late...so you're getting the morning chapter now. Here you go.

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><p>Chapter 5 (Making the Case)<p>

Beck followed Jade into Sikowitz's room, mulling over what he was calling an obsession with the Vega family. Sikowitz was already busy with paperwork on his desk, so Jade wanted to leave before they bothered him.

"Would you please tell her to stop snooping around Tori's family? She's got this insane idea that you said it was okay." Sikowitz turned his eyes up, then straightened himself in his chair. The scarf around his neck swayed gently with the movement, and the collar of his shirt was pushed down by his beard.

"You didn't hear the way Mr. Vega talked last night," Jade declared. She hurried in front of Beck and faced him. She spread her arms out and looked up to his eyes. "He clearly lied about meeting Mrs. Vega, he threatened Trina, and-"

"You're looking for problems that aren't there, Jade." Beck's arms rose from his sides and crossed over his chest. His eyes slanted and his eyebrows pushed up the skin between them. "I've been in that house too, remember? Nothing seems off about Mr. Vega to me-if anything, it's his wife that seems a little off."

"Are you blind or just trying to ignore the obvious?" She closed her fists tight and she sucked in a heavy breath through the slits between her teeth.

"Robbie agrees with me! He sees absolutely nothing wrong."

Jade's mouth fell open and her head jerked back. How could Robbie agree to something like that? The boy was right there with her last night. "If he's saying that, then he's lying."

"Robbie doesn't lie about shit, Jade. I've never seen him lie about anything." She turned away from him and he looked to Sikowitz, bouncing his hand up in the air. "Sikowitz?"

It was a stretch to say Robbie didn't lie about anything, but she could understand Beck's defense of the guy. The strangest thing about Robbie was the puppet he carried around everywhere. "Sikowitz, Beck is being an asshole. He's being a blind and ignorant asshole." Beck raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" If he really cared about Tori, with how much he seemed to defend the girl, then he would want to see what was going on. All this was showing Jade was she didn't know whether or not to trust him. It was even worse considering most of his actions were pushed by his parents, and his own mother had once been close friends with David.

"Maybe Beck isn't the problem, Sikowitz. Maybe it's his mother."

"Jade!"

"Relax, both of you." Sikowitz stood up and walked around his desk. She felt her angry blood rushing to her face and kept her attention away from Beck. Right now she wanted to throw him off a bridge, but she was willing to give her boyfriend the benefit of the doubt.

She lowered her heightened and tense shoulders and tightened her lips. Sikowitz took a seat on the edge of his desk and crossed his legs. He closed his hands together and set them on his knees while twisting to face her. "Jade. Slow down and tell me what you've discovered."

"Okay." Jade looked at Beck and frowned when his eyes started to roll. "Both daughters express discontent when someone gets close to their family, they seem afraid of something."

She studied the plaque on the wall behind him, able to read it more closely. Shock pulsed through her body when she added up the years of service as a private detective and the types of work he had done, one of which included undercover private investigations.

His service never ended-which meant he was still a private investigator. Could this be a reason Sikowitz seemed so interested in what she was doing? Could it be the reason he was encouraging her on investigations?

A nervous sweat formed at her forehead and she quickly ran the back of her hand over her brow to wipe the sweat away. "I um, hold on." She cleared her throat to erase the stammer and watched Sikowitz's mouth spread into what she could only assume was a knowing smile. "Okay, so, I talked to my dad. I don't know how accurate it is, but he said that from what he remembers, Mr. Vega was single fifteen years ago-when he last saw the man."

"Curious." Sikowitz scratched his beard and leaned back slowly. "Could the man have married a woman who already had two girls, though?"

"I didn't think about that."

"You should consider every avenue."

"Well the way Dad spoke, he seemed to imply that not only was Mr. Vega an unappealing person-Mrs. Vega was entirely out of his league. He appeared to suggest that Gary Richardson was closer to being more appropriate of a match for the woman."

"Have you looked into Mr. Richardson at all?"

"No. I thought maybe he was just friends with Mr. Vega, and maybe someone who was having an affair with Mrs. Vega." The affair claim still seemed to be a stretch. Holly was almost never out of the house. "However, that may not be plausible. She's rarely out of the house. I think Mr. Vega might have an ironclad grip on the women, but I don't know why. I don't know what's going on there."

Beck stepped forward and swept his hand through the air, raising his voice at Sikowitz. "You're encouraging her?" Jade winced and Sikowitz turned his head to the man. "We barely know this family. It isn't our place to mess with them. If there's something wrong, then the proper authorities need to deal with it!"

Jade leaned sideways and crossed her arms. Beck continued his ranting, but she ignored him. It was hard not having him support her in this, but she wouldn't force him to support something he didn't agree with. "Besides, if something's wrong, then why wouldn't Tori or even Trina speak up?"

"Fear is a complex emotion." Sikowitz's still-calm voice drew Jade's attention. He met Beck's gaze and turned his lips up into a tiny smile. When he spoke, it felt like the energy in the room shifted to relax and calm Jade's anxious nerves. "You see Beck, when you've grown up knowing a monster but knowing you can't challenge the monster-for who is going to believe you when you tell them about a monster-then you will learn to give up and quit fighting."

Sikowitz closed his eyes and parted his lips to let out a slow exhale. "Depending on the type of evil that holds you, there are a number of things that can keep somebody from calling out for help." His eyelids shifted open partially and Jade straightened her posture when his gaze fell on her. "You said both girls seemed afraid of something. Any idea what?"

She fumbled for an answer and thought back to the tension of the night before. The words David spoke to his daughter chilled her bones and haunted her even now. "Trina said 'what can he do, he's already done the worst'." Beck's eyebrows rose up and Sikowitz started to hum. "Mr. Vega said he would 'do it again' if she hadn't learned her lesson the first time. Trina's demeanor changed completely after that, and she ran upstairs-Tori followed her and came back some time later, but Trina stayed upstairs the rest of the night."

Beck's brow furrowed and he turned to Jade. "You're saying that Mr. Vega would do something so terrible to his daughter? A commander of the police, even, that's-"

"Not so farfetched," Sikowitz interrupted, "And it would appear that Miss West feels the daughter made the implication. Meanwhile…" Sikowitz extended his hand to the door, his long scarf hung over his arm, seeming to drop off with the sudden movement. "I'd like for you to leave, Mr. Oliver."

"But-"

"Please." Though it was a silent request, Jade caught the commanding strength in the man's tone. Beck nodded and left without further word. Sikowitz dropped his arm and sighed heavily. "It is unfortunate, but don't hold it against him Jade." She pursed her lips and bowed her head.

"I thought he would be more supportive of me."

"You cannot make a person see what they don't want to see." She tucked her hair over her ear and looked over her shoulder, holding her breath as she studied the closing door. "He has chosen to become friends with them, but he does not wish to believe there is something wrong with them. Do you want there to be something wrong?"

"No."

"Exactly. But of course, you want to be an investigator and therefore must acknowledge facts that point to something you don't want to accept. You're forced to accept the truth, he isn't, and that's where the line is muddied." She frowned and shook her head.

"I think I understand." She wouldn't push Beck into something he didn't want, no matter how hard it was. "He doesn't think Mr. Vega's dangerous, but that man…there's something very dangerous about him. I just don't know what…"

Regardless, she didn't know what to do after that. Once she found the truth, if she did, then what could be done? "It isn't like I'm a legitimate investigator. Even if I found anything, I…I couldn't do anything about it." Her shoulders fell and frustration welled up in her eyes, forcing a moisture to appear. "There's something not right about Mr. Vega, and even if I knew what it was." She stopped herself and clenched her fists tight as saliva sparked at the corners of her mouth. Her brow furrowed and she looked to Sikowitz for answers. "Tell me what to do."

Sikowitz curled his lips in a smile and raised his eyebrows up. "Do you want to be an investigator, Jade? Is that something you see yourself doing?"

"Of course." She didn't have to think about that for long. Her eyes darted to the certificate frame and her grip loosened. "You're not really a teacher. Are you?" Sikowitz's eyebrow rose and he turned partially to glance at what she was seeing. He chuckled once and turned back.

"Oh I am, but not how you think of me." She looked back at him curiously. "I do teach theater and acting, but it's not my main job. I am an adjunct, my full time job is as an investigator." It made sense, the only class he taught was her class, with Tori, Beck and the others, and when he was in charge of a production it was only on Fridays. "The plaque you see there is my way of advertising my services to students or their parents."

"I get it." She wiggled her nose and dropped her gaze for a moment. Sikowitz leaned back, pressing his hands on the desk for stabilization.

"Jade, if you're serious about being an investigator, I have a spot for an apprenticeship." Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. "You would have to report findings to me, and let me process. If there is something going on with the Vega family, I will be able to deal with it…"

"You mean-"

"I would also like for you to see something." He pushed himself up and walked back around his desk. Her fingers trembled and she found herself leaning forward to try and see what he was doing. Sikowitz opened a drawer and pulled out a manila folder. When he opened it, she spotted a newspaper article on the top. "Here. It might help you a little bit."

"What is it?" She took the paper and held it carefully, not wanting it to tear. The article was dated nearly four years ago and had a startling headline: _Police Captain's daughter contacts police against father._

Jade read the article aloud, struggling to read as the paper shook in her trembling grip. "Eleven year old Victoria Vega called the police Monday night, claiming that her father was dangerous and threatening to hurt her mother. She had run away from home and called the police from a nearby gas station. When she was returned to the house, Captain Vega was questioned. The police left, satisfied that this was just a childish prank. Rather than fine the child, Captain Vega said he would discipline her as he saw fit."

She nearly dropped the article and looked up from it as Sikowitz took it from her. "So as you can see, Miss West. There is clearly something going on in that family, and if you wish to pursue it, I am happy to take you on as my apprentice. I could teach you a thing or two."

He didn't need to ask twice, she wanted this job. It would be a great way to learn, and it would certainly help with college credit. "I will." She was curious why he had the news article, but part of her didn't care. Most likely, it was at least one of the cases he'd either worked or was planning on working.

As for the article, it now told her something more that she'd been questioning. "Tori said Trina was hurt once because of her actions, and she wasn't going to let it happen again…" Jade motioned to the article and her heart leapt up. "Could this be it? Tori called the cops on her dad and ran away, and because of it, Trina took the punishment?"

"That is concerning, but remember that we don't know what happened-or if anything did. We would need proof that something happened, and you have nothing."

"Then I'll keep looking."

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><p>So, what are you thinking at this point? That article, what do you think about it? Do you think it has something to do with what happened to the Vega women? Sikowitz is still an active Private Investigator (I've written him like my Judicial instructor, Judge Brotherton-teaches a class but is still a sitting judge), do you suppose there's more to him than meets the eye? Let's think about why someone would hire a private investigator, they work with the police but they work separate from the police-who do you go to when you're not sure who in the police to trust? I wonder if he's working the case that Jade is, although if he is-who hired him? Maybe that's too much speculation for one night? What are your thoughts throughout this chapter, hm?<p> 


	6. Contemplating Truth

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

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><p>Chapter 6 (Contemplating Truth)<p>

Jade folded her legs while sitting up on her bed at home. Her hair was damp from having taken a shower, and she was wearing a navy blue robe that loosely covered her still wet skin. In her hand was one of the Bosch novels that she was currently entranced with.

In this one, Detective Bosch had found new information regarding the death of his prostitute mother that was murdered when he was young. He was working desperately to solve this case, the case that made him want to be a detective.

Beside Jade was a bowl of cherries, her typical snack for when she was reading. Her left hand was dipping into the bowl and she was rolling two cherries around her finger.

Try as she might, she wasn't able to fully invest herself in the novel, as her mind was still on the Vega sisters. She tried to fight Tori and Trina from her mind, and fought in vain to erase the image of their mother's depressive stare from memory.

She turned a page in her book and groaned in frustration. "Sikowitz told me not to just focus on the girls…" She lowered the book and turned her eyes to the door. "Mrs. Vega is important too, then there's Gary." If she listened to her dad, then she had to understand that David and Gary used to be friends but ended at each other's throats.

Could it have been all the competition between the two men that caused them to grow apart? If so, did this have anything to do with David or the women? It was very possible that it had something to do with David's personality, however.

Her father described David as being a weak minded man. He was never confident. He had a charm that won over some of the women in their inner friends group, despite not appealing to many other women. He was raised by his mother, as his father died in the military. This mother was domineering and controlling, and had her thumb on the pulse of everything in his life.

Suffice to say, it appeared that Gary was the one to befriend him and pull him in with the group. Gary even got him on the sports team, though Henry claimed the coach didn't care too much for David and kept him benched most of the season.

"Then how would a guy like David land a woman like Holly?" Jade brought her hand to her chin and furrowed her brow. According to her dad, Holly was on the girls' softball team in her high school and in college. She only dated the star pitchers as she was a pitcher.

She was said to be headstrong, compassionate, and intelligent. At the same time she had a bit of a snooty attitude, and Henry said it was Gary who had taken a liking for her. Holly also seemed to go after someone who knew what they wanted in life and was confident in their future, a man that in no way sounded like her dad's description of David.

So the question of how David wound up with Holly was perplexing for Jade to figure out, because judging by her personality, she would not have gone for a loner like David. If anything, she sounded like she would be more attentive to somebody like Gary. "Which would make sense if she were having an affair with him…"

There was a knock on her door and she threw her head up suddenly. She pulled the flap of her robe tight over her body and frowned as Beck opened the door. "What are you doing here?" She was still angry with him over their argument, and she wasn't happy that he was walking in on her at this moment.

"Mr. West let me in." Beck was holding a bouquet of red and white roses in his right hand, and a large heart shaped box in his left. His eyes fell onto her and his lips parted slightly. "Um I, uh…was I interrupting-" She released her grip on the robe, letting it loosen and reveal a tiny strip of skin along her body.

"I just got out of the shower." She unfolded her legs and bent her left knee upwards, frowning as the bottom of the robe opened partially. Her lips flicked back into a smirk when Beck's face turned bright red. "Dad must not have realized. I don't think he would have let you back this way otherwise…what did you need?"

"Um. Apo-I wanted to apologize for that argument." She dropped her knee and smiled at him. Beck approached the bedside and sat on the edge. "I was stupid. I still don't understand why you're so insistent, but I won't stand in your way. I just-I don't know if there's really something going on or not, and if there is, I don't want you doing something dangerous."

"I'm working with Mr. Sikowitz now." Beck furrowed his brow and she closed her book with her thumb still in the spine. She set it on her belly and turned her gaze up to Beck. "He's a private detective, Beck. He's taking me in to be his apprentice, to teach me the ropes."

She saw a glint of pride in his eyes and smiled as he reached over to pat her leg. "That's good." She still wanted to know what Sikowitz's full agenda was, but he was the master here and she the student. There were bound to be things that he knew and wasn't ready to teach her yet. "So, investigating the Vega family?"

"Yeah." She dropped her eyes, then leaned forward, reaching her hand out to him. "But you can't tell anybody about this." It was important that no one know about the investigation, otherwise David could catch wind of it. Also, the connection that was there with Beck's mother couldn't be ignored.

Beck looked away from her and pulled his hand back to his lap. "You think my mom's involved in whatever it is you're looking for, don't you?" Her fingers curled and she dropped her hand to the silk bedding.

"I didn't want to come out and say it, but-"

"You mentioned something about my mom earlier with Sikowitz, so I'm not surprised." Beck scratched the tip of his nose and his chest caved inwards. "Mom knows Mr. Vega. I asked and she said she was old friends with him. She started talking about how they were all friends with this popular kind of guy and how David was in his shadow or something…"

Jade pressed her lips together and leaned back against the headboard. She moved her hands to her book and folded her fingers over the edge. The room grew silent, save for the pounding of heart. "So, what are you thinking, Beck?"

His mouth opened and his eyebrows rose. His breath skipped, making a small clicking noise as he brought his hand up to his forehead. "I don't know." His hand dropped down to the edge of the bed, leaving an impression as he gripped it tight. "Am I supposed to believe a good friend of ours is trapped with a psychotic, power-hungry dad? I can't think that, I don't _want_ to think that."

"Sikowitz says you don't have to." Beck turned his head to her and she shrugged. "You don't have to question the facts until there is proof. What he says 'beyond reasonable doubt', right now we don't even know if Mr. Vega is a bad guy or not."

"And if he is?"

"I don't know. I think we have to find a way to help them somehow."

Beck chuckled and closed his eyes. "I'm impressed. Hearing you say you want to help someone, when you've always been one to be unnecessarily cruel. It's a change, but I like it."

It was shocking to her too, but the more she thought about it, the more she couldn't just allow herself to ignore justice. If there was truly something wrong, she wanted to do something to fix it. Working with Sikowitz, she was confident that she could make an impact.

She reached over and took the box of chocolates from beside him, remembering that he had come to apologize for his part in the argument. She was grateful. "I'm sorry for calling you a blind and ignorant asshole, Beck."

"Well you might have been right. I still don't know if there's any point in investigating that family or not, but like I said…I'm just going to let you do what you want there."

"I appreciate that." Her heart swelled and she focused her attention on removing the red ribbon tied around the box. When she had it removed, she opened the box and instantly grabbed one of the maple fudge pieces. "As much as I appreciate maple fudge." Beck laughed and Jade brought the candy to her lips, delighting in its sweet taste once it entered her mouth and breached her taste buds.

Just then her bedroom door opened and Henry stepped in. She paused with her teeth halfway through the chocolate piece. Henry's wide eyes moved from her and over to Beck. Henry pulled his belt upwards and his chest expanded slowly.

When he spoke, his voice held a deep and commanding tone that resonated with the two. "I wasn't aware my daughter was still undressed after her shower. Beck, would you mind stepping outside so she can get dressed?"

She smiled slightly as Beck rose from the bed, stammering in a failed attempt to respond to the man. Though he phrased his statement like a question, Jade could discern from the pitch in his voice that this request was more of an order that Beck was to follow.

"Yes sir." Beck's face flushed of its color and he quickly ran past the foreboding man. Henry smiled at Jade and she waved her fingers at him.

"Well I wasn't going to let anything happen," she joked. Her father's eyebrow rose and his hand grasped the doorknob to his left.

"I'm more concerned about the boy's actions than yours, Jade." As expected of a father, she was in no way shocked by this. Still unsure about whether or not she was completely over the argument with Beck, she was tempted to leave him waiting for her. She picked up her book and opened it back to the place she had been at, then crossed her legs again. "How long will be, sweetie?"

"A few minutes." She picked a single cherry from the bowl next to her and popped it in her mouth. When the juice from the cherry mixed with the maple fudge, she squealed in delight as the two flavors seemed to fight for dominance. Jade swallowed the bite and looked up to her father with a bright grin. "I just want to finish this chapter first, then I'll come out and get him."

"Okay." Henry's shoulders fell slightly and the man looked over his shoulder with a heavy sigh. "I suppose I will find something to talk with the boy about."

"Thanks, Dad." He moved out of the room and shut the door. It made a slight click, then silence followed to allow Jade full concentration on the remaining portion of her novel.

Part of her mind moved back to the actions of her dad, and she wondered if maybe she was wrong. Maybe David could be that kind of father? No, judging by the things she saw of him and what she heard, he couldn't be.

Then Trina's words from days prior struck her: _Which man, the one in my dreams or the one in my nightmares?_

David was the nightmare. Jade could deduce that enough, but unless he had a serious Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde complex, there was no way he was the father of anybody's dreams. The father of dreams would be to Trina and Tori what Henry was to Jade; caring, protective and compassionate.

Trina remembered someone, but Tori didn't, meaning that whatever truth Jade was looking for had to have happened when the girls were at a specific age where Tori couldn't remember much of anything: Infancy to early toddler years.

_"I think he was single fifteen years ago_," Henry's statement played in her brain like a record, causing her to once more set her book to the side. The framed photo also returned to her mind.

'Truth', as she would call the incident, happened when Trina was five. "Twelve years ago?" Then did this mean David wasn't the girls' father, or was Henry just not sure?

After all, Henry hadn't seen David for nearly as long as he hadn't seen Gary, twenty years-the only reason he saw David again was because the man showed up for some party that he and Jade's mother threw.

David could have very likely fathered two children with somebody in that five year timeline that her dad didn't have contact with the man. The only thing that still didn't make sense to her was Holly's relationship to David. The profiles just didn't mix, and it didn't sound like a case of 'opposites attract' would bring those two together.

At least one of those parents might not be the parent of Trina and Tori, but she still didn't have any proof that went beyond reasonable doubt. It was likely not even the connection she needed to look for.

"Regardless of parenthood, I still should talk to people who knew David best…" She kicked her legs off the bed and glanced at the closet door across from her. "That means I need to talk to Gary," she muttered, "His alleged best friend."

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><p>Yes, a talk we won't get to until about chapter 10-for good reason and progression. Well, what are your thoughts here? Clearly there's some more discovered things, and it is good that Beck came to apologize.<p> 


	7. Fall From Grace

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

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><p>Chapter 7 (Fall from Grace)<p>

Entering the Vega home, Jade was shocked to see Robbie seated on the couch with his right ankle on his left knee and his right arm stretched out on the top. Rex was nestled against his open side, and Robbie's left hand rested on his slender stomach. "What are you doing here?" Jade asked without hesitation.

Tori walked past her and Robbie turned his eyes up to Jade. "Mom's here visiting with Mr. Vega," he replied, "So I decided to tag along." Jade glanced at Tori, silently questioning if Tori was concerned about this. The fact that Lanie Shapiro wanted to spend some time with David was highly concerning to Jade, so much that she wanted to know if it meant anything in particular. "What about you? I wouldn't expect you to be here without Beck."

"Tori invited me." It was a surprise, but Tori did send her a text expressing a desire for her to be there. Sensing an urgency between the lines, Jade rushed over. Could this meeting of Lanie and David be the cause of Tori's request? "As for Beck, he's busy right now."

She moved into the kitchen area and leaned the back of her waist against the edge of the counter. Tori was standing before the open refrigerator, her right hand hung loosely over the top and her left hand was closed before her stomach. The girl was gazing at a Tupperware container, but her face was long and her eyes held a distant look to them.

"Tori? Are you okay?"

Tori's body jerked and she turned her head. The corner of the girl's lower lip tucked beneath her teeth, and her brown bangs swept over the tops of her eyes. "I'm fine, just thinking."

"You know you asked _me_ to come over, right? I mean, you could have asked Andre, Cat, or hell-Beck, and I'm pretty sure all three would have come running." Though Beck was becoming more aware of her concerns regarding this, so he was taking more care not to do things that would make her feel like he was thinking about cheating. "So, why did you call me?"

"I don't know, to be honest." Tori closed the door without bothering to take anything out. She turned around and looked at Robbie, who was focusing on some comedy that was on the television. "Trina doesn't like me to say it, but you two have some things in common. You're strong, I guess."

"Where is your sister?"

"Out back with Mom." Tori's eyes darted to the stairs and her lips fell flat. "Dad's upstairs with Mrs. Shapiro." Jade turned her head, taking a moment to absorb what she had just heard. "Dad said they were going to go over a case. He does that every now and then-usually Mrs. Shapiro or Mrs. Oliver come and discuss a case they're working on."

Her heart sank into the ever growing pit in her stomach and she brought her hand up to her chin while sliding her finger over her lips. "And they just disappear upstairs to talk?"

"Well, I mean, sometimes they're in the study."

She didn't like hearing this, and surely Beck wouldn't like it either. Chances were they were doing more than discussing a case, but she wasn't prepared to make that allegation.

She squinted her eyes at the stairs and crossed her arms over her chest. At this rate, she suspected something more. The truth she'd been searching for was certainly not the only truth she had to find.

Assuming David was a dangerous man, how was he getting away with everything? What was his goal, and what did he do to achieve it? If he worked with Lanie, a high profile Judge, and Rebecca, the soon-to-be-Deputy Chief of Police, then chances were they were helping him to get away with his crimes.

"Do I dare to allege a conspiracy?" She whispered to herself. Her eyes darted to Tori, making sure the girl hadn't heard. Tori was leaning over the counter, her forearms folded on the surface, and her eyes seemed to be focusing in on Robbie. Jade flared her nostrils at the boy and started to hum. "Robbie lied to Beck before…"

With his lie fresh on her mind, she left Tori at the counter and moved for the couch. She took a seat beside Rex and set her hand on the puppet's head. Rex's course hair felt like wires between her fingers, scratching her as she closed her grip. Robbie turned his head and pursed his lips at her

"What are you doing, Jade?

"Contemplating whether or not I should tear your puppet's head off." She smiled sweetly and rolled her head to the right. "The other day when you were here, you were scared by Mr. Vega weren't you?" Robbie shrugged and started to reach for Rex, but Jade immediately pulled the puppet out of his reach and watched as Robbie's eyes grew wide. "You told me you felt a very bad vibe and you were uncomfortable the rest of the night."

"What's your point, Jade?"

"Beck asked you about that night because I told him about it, and you told him there was absolutely nothing wrong. You 'felt fine' the entire time." Her glare sharpened onto him. He slouched and seemed to shrink into the cushion. "You lied to him, Robbie-and in effect you made me look like a fool to my boyfriend."

"I didn't think it mattered."

"Honesty is the most important thing a person can have. If you're not honest, you can't be trusted."

"Come on Jade." Robbie's hand flew to his chest and his voice started to rise with irritation. "It's just a stupid feeling that I got. Nothing happened, so I ignored it. I'm sorry that I didn't think it was important enough to tell Beck about. Now would you hand Rex over?"

"You can have your doll." She tossed Rex back into Robbie's lap and stood up, ignoring a comment that Robbie made his puppet say. "But the next time you lie to me about something, Rex loses his head."

Robbie wrapped his arm around Rex's head and leaned to the right, gazing past her to watch the television. She returned to Tori, eager to move on from Robbie and try to learn a little more about the girl.

"So Vega, tell me a little about your old school. Sherwood, was it? I heard from Andre that you've been missing that, as you put it, 'cute science partner'?" Tori's eyes lit up momentarily and she twisted around. Her hand pat the surface of the table and she flashed a smile.

"Ian." Tori's cheeks grew scarlet and she brought her other hand over, fumbling her two index fingers together. "Ian was his name. He was a part of my biology class, we talked a _lot_. Dad didn't really like him that much, but you know how dads are, right?"

"Protective? Sure." She tapped her nails rhythmically on the counter and looked back at the stairs. There was no doubt in her mind that David wouldn't like the presence of a guy his daughter had a crush on, but not for the same reason that her father would throw Beck out of a room. No, it wasn't a fatherly protection he felt.

"But yeah, we were great friends." Tori rubbed her left arm and bowed her head. "I, he was really nice and sweet. No one else wanted to help me with my science project because they thought it was boring."

"Have you seen him since you left Sherwood?"

"No…He doesn't really like the whole singing thing." Tori paused and looked to the glass door leading out back. "Me either, to be honest." Jade's eyebrows rose and she leaned her forearm against the marble countertop. "It's just that Trina wanted me to go, she's been pushing a long time, and that showcase was just the moment she got her chance."

With the way Trina was, Jade was able to understand the elder sibling's reasoning. It was another way to protect Tori, to watch after her. At the same time, Tori seemed apt to look after Trina as well.

"So why do you sing? Why do you perform?"

"It's just something to do." Tori leaned upright and crossed her arms. "Have you ever had something to use as a distraction? Singing's fun, dancing and acting is a hobby, but it's never been my end goal."

"Then what do you want to be? Have you ever thought about it?"

"The last time I did, I was talking about it to Ian." Tori swept her hair over her ear and held her hand above it while turning her eyes downcast. Jade furrowed her brow and waited patiently. "I don't know. I love science-so I know I want to go into something to do with that. Veterinary sciences maybe."

"That's a good goal." Jade propped herself up on the counter and locked her ankles together. Her hands gripped the edge and her lips turned up into a smile. "What about Trina? What does she want?"

"I don't know. She doesn't talk about it. She'll probably teach, or maybe go into something involving gymnastics." The fact that Tori was talking about the future was good, even if Tori believed she had a future or not. Jade wanted her to think positively about things and to be able to hold hope things would get better.

When Tori's eyes drifted back to the stairs, the girl frowned and a knowing look flickered in her eyes. "I wish Gary were here." Jade raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't come up with any words to say. "He makes mom happy, I think, and Trina likes him."

"How so?" She didn't want to question the girl's view, especially since she still had a strong feeling that Gary was somehow connected to all of this. At first she wanted to remind Tori that David was married to Holly, but the words would not leave her.

"I don't know. They don't really talk." Tori's nose crinkled and she turned away from Jade. "There's just this look in their eyes; the way Mom and Trina get when he's here. Dad brings him here to boast about his accomplishments."

Tori's voice was full of scorn on the final statement. Jade could feel the anger wafting off the girl, as if to scorch everything in its path.

She knew more than she was letting on, but Jade had already figured Tori wouldn't open up to her.

"I don't get it," Tori growled, "I don't understand what Dad's deal is with Gary." Tori's hand clenched and she glared at a glass on the container. "He's nice, he's not a bad guy at all."

"Mr. Vega doesn't like the guy?"

"No…It's weird because they were friends once. They were also partners on the job, so I don't know what it was that caused them to grow apart the way they have."

"I'm sorry, Tori. I really am." All she knew was what she saw, and what she saw in Gary was a deep fear swallowing him up. To make more sense of where he was at, she only had to compare her father's words to the two men today, and what she caught was a complete role reversal.

No more was Gary the superstar that was moving ahead with great success and prosperity, and no more was David the loner behind Gary's shadows.

She needed proof that somehow David was responsible for Gary's fall from glory. She needed proof that David held some kind of dark and sinister secret. That was the only way that Sikowitz could build a case strong enough to get a prosecutor willing to take it in.

So long as Lanie wasn't the presiding judge, of course. How intricate, she could only wonder, was the web that David had spun? Every step closer to the truth she took, she felt like she was taking two steps back in the process.

_"I will figure you out, Mr. Vega. It's only a matter of time, the truth always has a way of coming up."_

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><p>There is much to be learned from this chapter, and I do hope you're profiling as well. You can learn much from what you know: For instance, we now know that Tori did have a very good friend from another school, but David doesn't like him. David doesn't like people who are confrontational, who challenge him, did Ian challenge him? How much does Ian know? How close was he to Tori? Pay attention to every detail as well-Lanie and David are upstairs, sometimes Rebecca comes, and do you think Robbie is being sketchy? What are some things you're picking up from this chapter? What are some things you're taking away? I will give you this much, because I'm sure you as the reader are already convinced that: David is most definitely not the father of the two girls, but is he even the stepfather? Does Holly seem like the type to willingly go through any sort of a marriage with him? Did she divorce the real father or could that be far too difficult for David to force her to do?<p> 


	8. Lost in Translation

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 8 (Lost in Translation)<p>

_Dennison_. The name on the mailbox was in big black letters, but the paint was cracked and faded. The mailbox was a standard black metal box seated on a round iron pole that shot down into grass that had grown long compared to the rest of the small yard.

The air was crisp and filled with the sound of neighborhood kids laughing over a game of baseball. Jade pondered the irony of the game for a moment before approaching the front door of the small brick home.

She knocked once on the wooden door and pushed her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. The wood on the front of the door was splintered and cracked, most likely due to the exposure of the sun. A dog barked from inside the house and she could hear a masculine voice calling to quiet the animal.

After several seconds the door cracked open and the hinges squeaked loudly. "Sounds like you should put some oil on those things." She peered over her shades and saw a slim young boy, around her age, slide between the door and wall. His foot was positioned strategically to keep a scruffy brown, mop-haired dog, from racing outside. "I'm Jade West, by the way. You probably don't know me."

The boy had a distinct smell of chemicals on him, and his scruffy yellow hair was held back by a black tie. "I'm sorry, you caught me in the middle of a project for school. Can I help you?" Her nose crinkled and she brought her hand towards her stomach. The smell of bleach and luminol was so strong that she could practically feel it being absorbed into her.

"What class is this?"

"Forensic Pathology. I'm taking part of a college credit program." He stepped outside the door, keeping his foot in place until he could shut the door in front of the dog. Jade breathed in and felt her throat loosen up with the contact of clean air. "My parents work with the crime lab downtown, so they insist on me doing regular experiments."

"I see. You want to follow their footsteps?" He was wearing a white lab coat, buttoned up over what appeared to be a white collared shirt.

"Yes." He pat his hands as though rubbing dust or debris off. "So again, can I help you or are you here for my parents?"

"Actually Ian, I'm here about Tori Vega." Ian's shoulders dropped and the thin smile that was on his narrow face faded away in an instant. "She um, doesn't know I'm here but she misses you."

He looked away and his eyes focused on the kids down the street. "Well since she left Sherwood for that arts school…" She pursed her lips. Part of her was afraid he'd turn her away, that he didn't want anything to do with Tori. As she studied him, she caught a glimpse of something in his eyes. Sorrow and yearning.

"You miss her too, don't you?"

"How well do you think you know her?" He looked back and crossed his arm. With his right shoulder, he leaned against one of the two support beams on his porch. His eyes gripped Jade and she felt as though she were being suspended in air, destined to fall if he so much as glanced the other way. "I've seen her perform on stage, going around singing…dancing…acting, like that's what she really wants. It isn't. Her first love was science. I could see that, she was so passionate about it in class, always asking Mrs. DeBord for advice and taking on whatever project she could get her hands on."

"Is that why you stopped talking to her? Because you think she gave up on all that?"

"For false dreams. Yes." It hurt to be told that singing was a false dream, but she understood the sentiment. It was extremely difficult in today's world to genuinely make a career out of singing or acting, so much that people said it was an impossible or unrealistic dream.

"That's not the case, Ian." His eyebrows burned together and he swept his fingers through his hair, scratching at the side of his head. "Trina encouraged her to go, that way she could watch over her. I can't say why-"

"The family of hers?" His interruption jarred her and she gazed, perplexed, as he stood straight. "Yeah, I know that father of hers is crazy." Ian pointed his thumb at his chest and his voice seemed to raise a notch. "I knew Tori since the sixth grade. I even tried to help her a few times."

"Help her?"

"When she was twelve, she tried to run away from home. The cops took her back and she was never the same. Neither was her sister." Ian's eyelids fell halfway and darted off to the right. "I won't say what, but it caused a lot of panic attacks. There was even a time I let her stay overnight, me and Courtney both."

"Courtney?"

"Courtney Van Cleef. You know her?" She recognized the name now. The girl was Sinjin's younger sister. Sinjin was approximately two years older than Trina and worked as a teacher's assistant at Hollywood Arts. Most people assumed he was a student, as he had his own locker and carried on with the students on a regular basis.

"Yeah, I know of her."

"She goes to Sherwood as well and was in our Biology class. She was friends with Tori also." If this was significant, she could speak to Courtney, but Ian seemed to be the stronger influence in Tori's life. "I guess if Trina influenced her to continue on at that school, then she had a good reason to."

"If it means anything to you, she still thinks about you. She told me she still wants to find a career in the science field, most likely-"

"Veterinary science." His lip tilted into a smug smirk and he dropped his arms to his sides. Jade was shocked by his answer, but relieved to see he still knew so much of Tori. She could feel his breath escape his lips and hit her forehead, it was warm to the touch and the minty scent flowed into her nostrils to overcome her. "She talked about that constantly. I'm glad she still holds out hope of a future out there…"

Just how much did he know about what was going on in the household? She folded her forearms on her abdomen and tilted her head to the right. "She confided a lot in you?"

"Yeah." He scratched the bridge of his nose and looked off with a heavy sigh. "I was the only person she felt like she could talk to." She got a sense that he knew more about Tori's life with her family than he was saying here, but respected that he likely wasn't going to betray Tori's trust by telling her everything.

"She trusted you, she must have felt safe with you. She hasn't lost sight of what she wanted to be, so why don't you give her a call?" If anything, Tori needed that call. "I know it seems like a lot of time passed, but you shouldn't let a rift grow between you because of a bad assumption."

"I'll consider that." Ian reached back to the brass doorknob and pushed his foot to the door. His head tilted back and his shoulders rose. "Can I ask why you're asking all this about her? I know you're one of her new friends, but seriously…"

Jade rubbed her arm and felt her stomach tighten with anticipation as he started to push the door. "I'm looking into her family. It's an investigation. I would ask you more questions, but if Tori confided anything in you and you wish to respect her privacy-"

"I do." His voice deepened and his head fell back down. "She made me swear never to tell anybody, not even the police. Hell, she couldn't even trust the police after they gave her right back to that man. Scared out of her mind."

He pushed the door, and once again Jade was struck by the intense smell of chemicals. She heard an older woman's voice calling out to him, telling him to finish up the experiment.

"Be right there, Mom." Ian looked over his shoulder and made eye contact with Jade. "Tell Tori, I miss her too. I'd love to see her again."

"You could tell her yourself, Ian."

"Perhaps."

Hours later she met with Tori at the girl's home, she had a heavy heart and felt uncomfortable with David's presence at the top of the stairs as he watched the two girls on the couch.

Tori had a board game strewn out on the table, so Jade was more than willing to partake in the game. She did not want to startle the girl by bringing up her visit with Ian so suddenly, nor did she want to tip off Mr. Vega to her having met with someone who clearly had a strong impact on Tori's life.

"How are you doing?" She whispered. She peered down at the game of Sorry and carefully placed the red pawn pieces in the home place. Tori had chosen the blue pieces.

"Good. I just got done with an acting exercise Mr. Sikowitz assigned." Jade smiled slightly and turned her eyes over her shoulder. David was still standing at the top of the stairs. His right hand grasped the railing firmly and his eyes were piercing into her with a violent fire. She could almost feel his fire surrounding her and overwhelming her, cutting off her circulation of air.

Did he not have something better to do, or did he suspect her of trying to dig into something that she shouldn't? Jade turned her eyes back to the board and saw that Tori had moved a piece already. She shook her head and bent her arm upwards, grasping at her chin with her forefinger and thumb.

"Will you perform it in class tomorrow?"

"Maybe. I kind of want to see someone else go." The skit in question was one where the actor made it up. She was interested in seeing what Tori could come up with, but understood if the girl didn't want to do anything. "Oh! Did I tell you-" Tori sat up and smiled at Jade. "Mom took me down to the animal shelter today, I was thinking of volunteering there."

"Sounds fun." She moved one of her pieces onto the board and paused for a second, sliding her eyes to the side. She couldn't feel the hole burning in her back any longer, so she decided to turn fully to see if they were still being watched. To her relief, David was no longer in sight. "You should."

"I don't know though. Dad might not be too happy with it, he prefers that we stay in or near the home when we're not at school."

"Ah." The skin around her nose folded and frown lines curled around the corners of her lips as her mind drifted back to the news article. It sounded like David didn't trust his daughter to not try calling out for help again. "You listen to everything that man tells you?"

"I learned a long time ago not to do what he doesn't want, Jade. Mom, Trina and I all know better. I'm not like you, I can't act out." Jade felt a vibration and looked towards the girl. Tori was trembling, but her eyes seemed to focus on the board as though she were unaware of the quiver.

"I don't always act out, Tori. Besides, you can't live in fear forever."

"You don't know me-you don't know what it's like. No one does."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Now she wanted Ian to contact the girl more than anything. Her eyes drifted to Tori's cell phone and her lower lip tucked beneath her teeth. A premonition struck her and she had a compelling urge to reach for the phone. "Don't you have any other friends that you've opened up to?"

Tori glanced at her phone, but kept her silence.

They continued the game for another half hour, talking casually about school and their other friends. When Tori moved her final piece into the winner's circle, and Jade had one left on the board, she threw her hand up with a loud cheer.

Jade crossed her arms and leaned back, glaring at her final piece. She hadn't been good at board games, and tonight was no exception. "Congrats Tori. I look forward to beating you at a poker game."

"Oh can we play?" Tori's lips spread into a wide grin and her eyebrows bounced up. It was unusual to play one on one, rather than the large group, but Jade was more than willing to entertain the girl.

"Of course." She stood up from the couch and looked back in time to see the screen of Tori's phone turn on. Her heart grew still as a calm air of silence surrounded her. The phone's ringing burst through her ears and time suspended for a moment.

The name on the caller ID was listed as 'Ian'. Her heart skipped a beat as Tori reached for the phone, still not turning her head. When she did, a sudden gasp broke the silence. "Oh my god, what's he doing calling me?" Jade glanced at the stairs and smirked with satisfaction.

David was still gone.

Tori's eyes lit up and a water formed at her eyelids. Jade motioned for her to answer the call, growing impatient the longer the musical ringtone played. The tune ended only when Tori brought the phone to her ear and spoke up with a trembling voice.

"Ian? I thought you didn't want to talk to me anymore?" Tori stood up and brought her hand to her chest, nodding slowly. Jade watched the tears roll along the girl's face, framing her lips as they twisted in an upwards motion. "Y-You were thinking about me? You were missing me?"

Tori turned her back to Jade and moved her hand to the back of her neck, rubbing beneath her hair. "I missed you too, Ian. I hated that we stopped talking…no, you weren't wrong, I should have just told you Trina was encouraging me to get in. Singing's fun, but it's not the end all thing I want. I…Ian, I need to talk to you, I've always needed to talk to you but when you said-" Tori dropped her hand and paced to the right three steps. "I'm sorry too, Ian. Can we-can we meet at the school? It's better that way."

Tori lowered her voice so Jade wasn't able to hear, but she didn't care. She sat back down on the couch and watched Tori pace around the living room, and occasionally glancing at the steps just to make certain David wasn't around.

"Trina's okay," she heard Tori. Intrigued, she followed the girl's movement and threw her arms over the top of the couch. "No, he's still wary about friends. He still brings Gary around, I feel really bad because I know he does it just to hurt him." Jade's ears perked and she brushed her lips together, forming a subtle humming noise.

After a few more moments of conversation, Tori was saying her goodbyes. The girl turned to Jade and started to laugh excitedly, like a blushing schoolgirl who just had her first conversation with her longtime crush.

Although that analogy was likely to be very close to the truth. Secretly Jade was hoping that Ian could find a way to help Tori as well, because if anything, help was something the girl needed.

_"Thank god he called."_ Jade threw her friend a smile and waved the girl over to the couch. She needed Tori not to get too excited. "So what did Ian have to say?"

Tori fell onto the couch with a sigh and shut her eyes. "He really misses me, wants to see me and is sorry that he misunderstood the reason I left Sherwood. He was afraid I was going to turn into a diva, but he knows better now."

"I'm happy for you, Tori. Really." Jade pat the girl on the back and glanced to the stairs one final time. She didn't feel safe being here without Beck, or backup of some sort. This one man was able to control three women, one of which being a formerly athletic mother of two girls. He managed to strike fear into Trina, someone who was described as being a dangerous force on the martial arts sparring grounds.

It took a lot for her to stay in this place as long as she had, alone as she was. If David acted up, she knew she couldn't fall back onto Tori or Trina for protection. She could protect herself a little, but one couldn't expect unrealistic means of going up against a powerful and seasoned police officer with years of dangerous criminal activity in his background.

"What do you say we get to that poker game?" Jade cleared her throat and made eye contact with Tori. "Maybe outside on the back patio? Do you mind if I call Beck over?"

As if Beck stood a chance against David if it came to violence, but there was power in numbers after all.

"Aw, I thought it was going to be just us two? Go ahead if you want, I don't mind."

"I don't have to."

"No it's fine." Tori waved her hand and smiled at her. "Actually, I was thinking of calling Cat and Andre over."

"Not Robbie?"

"_Definitely_ not Robbie." Tori's face grew serious in an instant. A familiar emptiness grew in Jade's stomach: fear and uncertainty. Tori had more news to share that she wasn't saying, and somehow it involved Robbie. "Anyway, I'll call them over. It would be great to ask Ian to come over, but I don't think it would be a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because." Tori stood up and walked towards her dining table, twisting around slightly. "The last time Ian was over here, he and Dad got into a fight." Jade's head jumped back and her lips parted briefly. "You know that old 50s or 60s song by the American Dreams? The one about the boyfriend and all that?"

"I know of it." The song was called _My Boyfriend's Back_, it basically highlighted the scorned girl whose boyfriend was returning from some trip and gunning for the person that hurt the singer. "Ian got into a fight with your dad?"

"I've never seen anybody kick my dad's ass, they almost killed each other. Mom and Trina had to pull them apart." It was difficult imagining a man of Ian's size attacking someone of David's size, but the boy did work with chemicals that his parents brought home from work-even though they likely were not supposed to do such a thing.

Then it was possible for anyone to get ahold of a weapon. How Ian survived not being gutted by such a fearsome man, Jade wasn't sure. "Lucky guy."

"Yeah, but Dad said to him 'I better not see your face again'." She had to wonder if Tori was even aware she was opening up, it was likely the girl was and this was her way of telling Jade how bad things were in this house.

It was good to see Ian tried to protect the girl. It meant he was dedicated and that he cared, so she hoped this was a sign that his coming back into Tori's life would be a good thing.

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><p>Sp what are your thoughts with this chapter? It's good Jade managed to bring them back together, gives Tori something maybe to hope for, just maybe.<p> 


	9. Those Involved

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

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><p>Chapter 9 (Those Involved)<p>

In Sikowitz classroom, Jade was tasked with going over the facts of the case while the rest of the students participated in the class activity. She didn't mind, since she felt like she had to continue investigating, so she was more than willing to take a seat at a desk in the back of the room.

The clamor of her classmates was distracting, but she was able to drone them out just enough to focus on her own work. Although she was closely observing some key people. Such as Robbie, who was watching Tori.

"Build a profile." That had been Sikowitz's order for her. The sheet of paper he printed out for her was crisp and warm, as though freshly printed. It would serve as a guideline for her notes. This sheet was a profile sheet that would outline various factors that she needed to identify to create such a profile of offenders and their victims.

Beside her on the desk was a large book, the _Crime Classification Manual_, by John E. Douglas. It was black, with a gold banner at the top, and very thick. Its size was terrifying, but fortunately for her, it was more of a reference manual than a textbook to study.

"Okay." She put her pen to the first line of the sheet and narrowed her eyes. "Possible criminal profile typology." She wasn't certain what to look for, since she didn't have all the facts. Sikowitz had written down a few numbers for her to look for, so she'd follow his reference and see what she could find. Her eyes darted to the book and she gently tapped her lips with her pen. "I'll look through that thing in a second…"

Under "Victimology", she wrote out the names of three victims: Holly, Tori, and Trina. Then she wrote out one as a John Doe, because she figured there had to be somebody else involved in all of this: The real father of the girls. Whoever he was, he was out there and he was a victim.

"Make this easy," she muttered, "Start with the oldest." Her chest throbbed and she brought her hand to her forehead, struggling to drown out the loud chatter that surrounded her as she wrote down what information she knew.

_Holly Vega_

_ Holly was born Holland Raquel Daniels circa 1962 and attended Lawrence High School before attending the University of California at Los Angeles in 1980. She pitched for the high school softball team, and would later pitch for the university team._

_ Known by those around her as high maintenance and a "challenge" to get to know. Headstrong. Known relationships include David Vega, Gary Richardson, and John Doe._

_ Mothered two daughters with at this time-unidentified-father._

_ Possible victim of a stalker; possible victim of abduction_.

She scratched her head and studied Gary's name for a moment. The only reason she knew anything about his connection to Holly was from her father. "I need to focus on him, but I have nothing." Then Sikowitz's words struck her: In profiling, 'nothing' does not exist. "What do I know then, about Officer Richardson?"

It was time to connect the dots, if at all possible. She slid her tongue partially from her lips as her pen sped across her journal. "According to Henry West," she wrote, "Gary Richardson was at the top of his game in Lawrence High School, and The University of California at Los Angeles. Pitcher on his baseball team…"

She felt the excited rush of adrenaline through her veins as she continued on past Gary's life at the university. While not much was known, she'd asked around enough to obtain a few crucial facts. "Gary Richardson became a police officer upon graduation from the University in 1984. He was promoted to Detective rank in 1992."

In her pack was a newspaper article she copied while at the library. It detailed how one of the police department's finest officers had been demoted, but no reason had been given to this fall. The officer was about to be promoted to Police Lieutenant.

The paper had been published in August of 1998.

Jade's heart stopped and she lifted the pen. Her eyes squinted and darted to Tori, who was in the midst of laughing with Andre and Cat about something. "'98, Trina was five and Tori was three. Conveniently, this is the same time Mr. Vega got promoted to Police Lieutenant…"

David was an odd case.

Jade licked her fingertips and turned the page in the notebook with sudden haste. Her pen fell to the page and she began scrawling what she knew of Officer Vega's history. "Loner in high school, father died in Vietnam. David was befriended by Gary Richardson, Rebecca Sammons-Oliver, Lanie Travett-Shapiro, Henry West…David is described as antisocial, poor in his relationships regarding women."

Then she continued on to what she got from her father that he knew of outside of the university level. Somewhere along the way, David became close with both Rebecca and Lanie, and of course he still appeared to be.

However he was slow in career growth. He became an officer at the same time as Gary, in 1984. "David was passed up for multiple promotions." Both the Officer ranks and Detective ranks had multiple parts to them.

Police officer I, II, and III. Detective was built the same way. Therefore, it was a total of six promotions. Gary had smooth and steady promotions to each, but David did not.

"When Gary became Detective, rank one, David was still a police officer, rank two." It was not until Gary was at his final rank of a detective that David was granted a promotion to the first of the Detective tree.

"When Gary was eligible for promotion to Lieutenant, he was suddenly demoted to Detective rank one, and David bypassed the second and third tiers of the detective rank and was granted the rank of Lieutenant."

"After which…" She leaned back in her chair, sliding her palms towards her along the surface of the desk. The old, grainy texture clung to her fingertips. She bit her lower lip and furrowed her brow.

She only knew the rest of David's career rise because it was the information Tori didn't mind sharing. David rose at what seemed to be breakneck speed-near unbelievable and implausible unless there were somebody else granting this.

He was upped to Lieutenant rank two in July of 2000. He became a Captain in 2003. Captains have three ranks, similar to the Officer and Detective ranks. His promotion to the second tier came in 2005, then the third was in 2007.

Finally, this year he was granted a rise to Police Commander, pending the promotion of the last Police Commander-Rebecca Oliver, now the newest Deputy Chief. "But she had only been Commander since 2003. That wouldn't explain the sudden rise of Mr. Vega's career, would it?"

"No." A voice behind her startled her, causing her to twist and look up with baited breath. It was Beck, and he'd been looking over her shoulder. His lips were in a flat line, and his eyes were half-lidded. "Maybe after that year, but before, it was the Assistant Chief of Police."

The Assistant Chief was still a Deputy Chief, but rank two. They had a new Assistant Chief and a new Police Chief as of this year, but the Assistant Chief prior to this one had been in office during the late '90s. The one in question was Abraham Michaels.

Beck pulled up a chair, pressing the back end against her desk. He took a seat and folded his forearms over the top. "I overheard mom and dad talking last night." He had a disheveled look on his face and his hair was unnaturally messy. "She told him it had been Chief Michaels that demoted Gary and promoted David."

Jade closed her eyes and let out a long exhale. "You look upset. Did you hear anything else?" He moved his hand to his forehead and slowly pushed it through his hair, sliding the strands back into place as well as he could.

"They were fighting because Mom apparently spends a lot of time with Mr. Vega." Her eyes dropped down and a stroke of pity struck her. It could be Beck now knew of the affair his mother was having with the man, and of course, it was better that he found out this way when he would not have believed her had she said anything. "She said she had to, that Dad 'didn't understand'."

"What? Is your mom being forced?"

"No. That's the funny part." Beck turned his head to the right and huffed loudly. "She's willingly going to Mr. Vega and helping him with whatever it is he wants. She says she 'feels sorry' for him and always has." Jade wrote down his words.

She felt an emptiness in her gut and a tightness in her throat while thinking on Beck's mother. She needed to know what the woman's connection was in all this, but didn't want to pressure Beck with questions. Still, it was necessary.

"Beck. I know it's hard…" He looked back to her eyes. His expression was distant and his eyes vacant. His eyelids were red and puffy, and she noticed for the first time, the growth of patchy stubble on his chin and jaw. "What is your mother's connection to all of this? What's her connection to Chief Michaels? What's her connection to Mr. Vega? To Gary?"

"I don't know about Chief Michaels, other than he's Mrs. Shapiro's uncle." Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes widened. "But Mr. Vega? Dad accused her of sleeping with the guy…since before I was fucking born. She says it was 'pity sex' at first…She, Mrs. Shapiro, Mr. Vega…"

Her stomach knotted up and her eyes drifted towards Robbie. Anxious thoughts filled her head and deafened her to Beck's continued rant about his mother's affair. It was as though she were in a lucid state, unable to comprehend just what her boyfriend was saying.

She thought she heard him say something about a divorce, then something about somebody pandering to someone else. Then he said something that struck a frightened chord in her heart.

Lanie Shapiro was divorced in '96-but she was pregnant in '94. The baby was not the son of Thomas Shapiro.

"Shit," She whispered aloud as Robbie made eye contact with her. His lips spread into a thin smile and his thick eyebrows slid up beneath his curly bangs. "What happened to the father? Did you hear anything about that?"

"Just a little." He crossed his arms and straightened his back with a groan. "Mrs. Shapiro told everyone that it was her husband's, so I doubt even the father had any inclination. Mom seems to think it could be Mr. Vega, and that Mrs. Shapiro was just embarrassed or something."

"Ms. Ms. Shapiro-she's divorced now."

"Same damn difference as far as I'm concerned, at the moment."

"Do you think Robbie knows?"

Beck's eyebrows arched and his lips opened like a fish trying to breathe. "Oh he knows-that squirrely little nut knows damn well. With how often we talk on the phone, he goes on and on about it. And you know what else?" Beck leaned forward and his voice dropped to a whisper while Jade focused on Robbie. Robbie was talking with Tori, laughing over some joke and playing with Rex.

"What?"

` "I called him up last night, he was half asleep. He said he knows the truth about the Vega sisters." Her heart skidded to a halt and the tightness in her stomach spread to her chest and her muscles. "You know he was a last minute addition to Sikowitz's class, right? When Tori started in here, he signed up."

"You're throwing your own cousin under the bus, you realize that?" Beck and Robbie weren't direct cousins, but second cousins. Beck scoffed once more, the tune was filled with anger. His trembling fingers combed through his messy hair and his eyes slammed shut.

"We're not cousins. It was on his dad's side, Jade. He never told me Mr. Shapiro wasn't his father." She reached over to his hand and closed her fingers around it. Beck's raw gaze drifted open and she smiled reassuringly at him.

"I'm sorry Beck. I really am. I have to tell Sikowitz."

"I know, Jade. Why do you think I'm telling you all this?" Beck pulled his hand away and frowned at the man he once considered to be a good friend. "Something fucked up is going on, and he's probably taking this class just to see what's up. I don't know, but I need time to think about things…"

"Take all the time you need." She closed her notebook and took a deep breath. Today was going to be an odd day, she could feel it, but at least they were making progress. "So somehow, your mother, Robbie's mom, and _maybe _Robbie himself…are a part of this. Chief Michaels as well-though retired now." It was likely Lanie and Rebecca could cover up or turn away investigation on David. "Robbie's mom is a judge, your mom's the newest Deputy Chief-and Beck, I don't want to say it to you but-"

"My mother's probably aiding Mr. Vega in whatever the hell he's been up to." His cheeks rose and fell quickly and his shoulders fell. "Just say it."

Now she just had to figure out why, and what it was David was getting away with. Whatever it was, there was a reason behind it-once she figured that out, she could start figuring out what to do.

Private investigators worked with and for the police, but they also worked alone. Jade learned that from Mr. Sikowitz, and as such, she was aware that people might choose private investigators to help with something that the police department cannot.

Approaching Sikowitz's downtown office after school was nerve-wracking because it was the first real time she'd been down there. His office was tucked away in a high rise with nearly fifty floors.

When she made it to the door of his office, it was cracked open enough for her to hear a man shouting at Sikowitz-upset that the newest addition to his staff was a teenage girl.

The man sounded nervous and frantic, there was also a sense of urgency in his voice that mingled with despair and anger. As she tried to discern what kind of anger this man had, she approached the glass windows that overlooked the street below.

The people on the sidewalk looked like tiny dots from where she was standing, and the cars almost looked like rectangular, colored blocks sliding along a path.

"Just trust me," Sikowitz reassured the man. Jade turned her head over her shoulder and saw something move past the cracked door.

"Trust? I have to trust you, who else is there?"

"Relax. Go home, sip a beer or something, and let me handle things."

"Please, Erwin. The only other option-I may as well give up my badge for because that's what I'd be doing."

"I know. I understand. Just relax."

Jade turned fully and watched the door slide open. To her amazement, Sikowitz followed Gary Richardson out of the office. He was in full police uniform, his usual neat and clean hair now looked like a mad scientist's. His eyes were baggy and red, and his forehead had been scrunched up like crumpled paper.

He took one look at Jade, rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in despair, then walked off while mumbling under his breath. Sikowitz turned to her with a smile and motioned his hand into his office.

"Don't mind Mr. Richardson, Jade-he is simply one of my many clients."

"He sounded pretty angry."

"Yes, well, a few of my clients are a little concerned that I hired a teenager as an apprentice." He shrugged and Jade started to frown. "But I have faith in you." Her hope was restored for the moment and she started to approach him.

Sikowitz looked different in this high-rise office. His hair was now neatly combed around his bald top, and he was no longer wearing his dirty outfit with the scarf clinging to his neck. Now he was wearing a brown blazer over a tucked in, blue, button-up. Instead of a scarf, he wore a brown tie that had a pattern of brown squares.

"Do you have new information regarding your case-assignment, Jade?"

"I-I think so."

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><p>So it looks like Beck sees what was suspect. but sometimes answers raise more questions. Tell me, are you thinking? It sounds very much like Robbie is a part of the conspiracy, but just how involved? Could he be going so much as to keep an eye on Tori and likely Trina while they're not home? And after all this time, we see Gary, and it looks like he's hired Sikowitz for something and like many of the other clients, isn't exactly thrilled that a teenager is the newly hired help. Beck seemed pretty shaken up, didn't he? You think he's going to handle it with some difficulty for a while? What other thoughts do you have? Do tell!<p> 


	10. A Man with Nothing to Lose

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: So I've been busy with studies and a few other things, I have half of Chapter 11 written...bear with me please and here's 10.

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><p>Chapter 10 (A Man with Nothing to Lose)<p>

"You know something. You know something and you're not telling me." She watched him move around his polished oak desk and began to question her mentor's method of teaching. He gazed out his window while pulling his brown leather chair away from his desk.

Jade closed the door behind her and dropped her eyes to the blue carpeting beneath her feet, then followed it to a set of file cabinets. This was a standard office space, fit with crown molding and brown walls.

"I know many things, Miss West." She dropped her hands to her side and threw her gaze back to the man. He stood in front of his chair and lowered his fingertips to the desk, tapping it twice. "If I told you every trick in the book, you would not learn on your own. You must learn by doing, by seeing: That is the best education."

She walked forward, stopping behind a black swivel chair. Her hand fell to its arm and her brow began to furrow. This case she was on wasn't new to him. It couldn't be. Yet how much did he know? "What do you know that you can tell me, then?"

"I will tell you everything, when you are ready to hear it. What I will say is this: Threats have been made in this particular case you are working, that if a private investigator is sensed snooping about, we will be unable to stop the perpetrator." This must be where she came in. Somehow, for some reason, she was being used as his eyes.

Her heart rose momentarily and she sat down in the chair, eager to discuss new facts, but curious as well on what Sikowitz was going to do. "Well, I do have some new facts, or information that is concerning to me." She set her notebook on the desk and he pulled it towards him. He turned the first page gently, treating it as though it would tear at the slightest bit of force. "Apparently Rebecca Oliver and Lanie Shapiro have had long standing affairs with Mr. Vega."

Sikowitz's eyes lifted from the book and the corners of his mouth sank. "Have you also seen indication that they're still connected?"

"Yes. Ms. Shapiro was at the Vega home a few nights ago with her son, it was said that she was there to discuss some case." She looked up at her mentor and could see the concern swelling in his eyes. Perhaps this was new material to him, in which case, she felt a streak of pride in finding something new. "Tori also said Beck's mother comes over often as well-and Beck himself informed me just today that he heard his mother arguing with his father…the Assistant Chief at the time was the one who promoted Mr. Vega and demoted Mr. Richardson."

Sikowitz hummed and shifted his hands behind his back. "No reason was given, I assume?" She shook her head no. It was brought up during a fight in which Beck was the only witness. "Would Beck be willing to come in and give me a statement of what he witnessed?"

"Yes."

"Good." Sikowitz brought his hand up to his chin and sank his fingers into his scruffy, yet trimmed beard. His eyes scanned over her notes, and on occasion she would see his eyebrows lift. It was a lot like someone doing a pair of curls with dumbbells, bringing them up and then falling.

"I see you've got Robbie's name mentioned here." The dumbbells moved in together and he glanced at her with sudden haste. "Tell me about that."

"Beck informed me that Ms. Shapiro may have been pregnant with David's child and did not tell anyone. It's alleged that this child was Robbie." The man's eyes enlarged and his hand fell from his beard. "Beck says he contacted Robbie later and was told that Robbie knew something about the Vega girls. Robbie also signed up for your class after he knew Tori was in."

"Do you think he is somehow involved in this?" There was a sense of urgency in the man's tone, which came not as a surprise to her at this point.

"If he is, then he knows what's going on. I still haven't gathered all the details. I'm stuck." Sikowitz straightened his back and Jade leaned forward, scanning her notes for the page where she profiled the victims. Her finger moved to the 'John Doe' and she looked up to Sikowitz. "Trina and Tori cannot be Mr. Vega's kids by birth. Now, I'm not sure if he married Holly and they're his stepchildren, or if there's something more to that story, but I don't know who the birth father is." Sikowitz brought his hand over his lower face and started to hum.

"Stepchildren? How confident are you on that angle, Miss West?" A moment of doubt struck her as she considered his question. She'd not given much thought to the 'angle', and she still felt like she was missing a connection.

She hadn't brought Gary up again because he was already Sikowitz's client and could very well be a part of some other case. "Not very. There's a connection I'm missing somewhere."

He turned a page in her notes and slid his forefinger across a sentence. "You've done well studying up on the girls and on Mr. Vega, but I want you to focus on the other people that you have written down in your notes. Ms. Shapiro, Mrs. Oliver, Robbie, and of course…Mr. Richardson. You are already aware of his connection to Mr. Vega. What is his connection to Holly? What is his connection to Trina and Tori?"

"I don't know that there is any connection, sir." The dumbbells on Sikowitz's forehead brushed up against each other, forcing a wrinkle between the two. "My father told me the two used to be friends, but Mr. Richardson was better at everything-aside from jealousy, I have no idea what Mr. Vega has against the man nor do I know if his sudden demotion had anything to do with Mr. Vega's promotion."

"Have you questioned it?"

"Yes."

"Now have you ignored it?"

She moved her hands along her clothed knees, wiping away the now clammy feeling on her palms. "I haven't focused. I've put more focus on what it was that Mr. Vega did to his eldest daughter."

"Did you not just say those two couldn't be his?"

"I did."

"And you are referring to Trina as his daughter, but she is not. She is a victim of the man. Now have you looked up the classification code that I have given you on the profile sheet?"

"312.02: Child domestic sexual abuse." She recited the classification and crossed her arms, still not understanding why that was one of the ones that he wrote down. "It refers to an assault on household members under the age of majority, I think?"

"Good. Have you read up on the classification of sexual offenders? Tell me what the types are." She was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the topic, but she knew he wasn't going to bring it up if it didn't pertain to something.

"Social acquaintance-313.01. Subordinate. Power-reassurance. Exploitative."

"Those fall under 313, the opportunistic." Sikowitz pulled the crime classification manual from his desk and opened up to the page in question. "The other two are Anger and Sadistic. For this, I want you to focus on the victimology of 314.01."

"The anger?" It was sexual assault characterized by high expressive aggression. Unlike the sadistic offender, the angry offender's actions were done as punishing actions, not for sexual gratification. "Primary motive is anger, of course. Done to…teach…a lesson?"

David's harsh threat to Trina popped up in her mind and she drew her hand up to her mouth, gasping softly as Sikowitz started to nod. "The assault is also just one feature in a history of unsocialized and aggressive behavior which is displayed in various social settings."

As she thought back to what her father was saying about David, she began to piece together the larger puzzle that was that man. "The angry offender acts to humiliate, to harm and demean their victim-"

"Or victims. Remember that it can be plural. You want to figure out what it was that Mr. Vega may have done to Trina, and then you want to figure out why neither Holly or Tori has cried out for help."

"Because Tori already tried-and was caught." Jade's stomach was gripped by a nauseating force and her eyes began to well up with tears. "Tori told me Trina was hurt because of her…Trina defended her." It was a crime that would keep the women from acting up, to assert power and dominance over them.

"Yes, but Jade, that is only one crime, and it could be said that Mr. Vega never originally intended to commit that particular crime until that moment had already occurred." She lifted her eyes up to the man and witnessed the somber expression on his face. "That is a crime done while he was actively committing another. Not only did that act hurt Katrina, Tori, and Holly, but it hurt someone else too. It silenced any hope that the original and first crime would ever be caught-and a reminder to another person not to pursue. Recall that Mr. Vega is not simply angry at them, they are victims of an anger directed at somebody else."

"But _who?_"

"Who do you think?"

"The only person I can think of is Mr. Richardson, but I don't understand. If he were angry at Mr. Richardson, what do hurting Holly, Trina, and Tori have to do with the grand scheme of things?"

Sikowitz sat down slowly and bent his hands upwards. He brought his fingertips together beneath his nose and closed his eyes. "Every Friday evening, Mr. Richardson goes to the batting cages at the park on Southwest Parkway." Jade took her notebook and began to write down the information.

Today was Friday, and it was about five-thirty. "Okay, so what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to find him." She hesitated and pulled her pen away from the notepad. The last she saw of Gary, he didn't look thrilled to see her. Sikowitz opened his eyes partially and breathed out slowly. "I want you to talk to him, learn about his past and present lifestyle, and then profile him. Return to me with what you have discovered."

It took her ten minutes to get to her car and another twenty to find the park in question, then fifteen to find the batting cages. All along she was nervous and concerned with what Sikowitz was trying to tell her.

She'd been looking at David's connection to Gary as separate from his connection to Holly and the girls. There was nothing that tied Gary to them, but at the very least it was time to get some information from him.

As she approached the batting cages, she was overcome by angry sound of a heavy bat crashing into the balls being fired from their machine.

Gary was in third cage and he still appeared as he had a couple of hours before. In front of him, on the other side of the cage, was a large headshot of Mr. Vega. It was smudged and crumpled in places, the crumpled spots were about the size of a baseball.

The man's muscles were tense, his jaw was tight, and his narrow eyes were locked onto the photograph. With every hate filled swing, he put his full power in and did his best to direct the ball into the picture.

"I see you still have the swing from your university days, Mr. Richardson." Gary froze and turned his head to her, staring for a long time before scoffing.

"I was a better pitch than I was ever a batter." He ran his hand through his damp, sweat-drenched hair, and growled. His right hand still gripped the handle of the bat and he watched as the machine continued spitting out the balls. His eyes shot over to the photo and a sneer stretched across his face. "Wouldn't mind using this on the real thing if it wouldn't end up landing me in prison"

"You would like to kill Mr. Vega?"

Gary rolled his head to the right and slanted his eyes at her. "Didn't that private dick hire you as his apprentice?" He turned off the machine, then slammed his bat into the photograph. Jade's body flinched, though she felt her own anger towards David as well.

Still she felt an instinct that let her know she may never feel the amount of rage and hatred that this man felt. "My dad says you used to be friends. You and that man." She pointed to the picture and Gary tore the man's face off the wrought-iron fence.

"'Used to be', I took that fucker in. I was a friend to him in high school, in college, and how does he repay me?" Gary dropped the photo to the ground, then slammed his heavy boot down, crushing David beneath his foot as though he were no better than a pile of manure. "By destroying my life! He couldn't stand that I was better than he was at baseball, at socializing-I tried to help the miserable fuck, but he couldn't be helped. I wish I'd never laid eyes on the bastard."

She was overwhelmed by this cloud of anger, so much that it was becoming a struggle just to breathe with this man's powerful presence next to her. "Mr. Richardson, sir, I know it's hard…but please, relax."

"Relax? Is that some kind of joke?" Gary dropped his bat and waved his hand beside his head. "Is all of this some sick joke? How dare you tell me to fucking relax-" He swept his arm out, pointing at nothing in particular. She cringed under his fiery glare, and struggled to keep from breaking apart. "That man reminds me every day the shit I'm in, letting me know just how better he is than I am now." Gary approached her and swung his hand back to his chest, stabbing himself with his thumb. "That should be me up there. Mr. Police Commander. He couldn't stand the fact that he wasn't capable of having a decent life-but it isn't like he ever actually tried making things better for himself…always taking what isn't fucking his."

"Taking what isn't his, Mr. Richardson?"

"How the hell do you think we met?" Gary leaned his back against the fence and closed his eyes. His chest was heaving in and out and his shoulders were peaked. His right leg folded over his left and his nostrils flared. "Dumb prick was stealing the teacher's answer sheet back in high school and I found him. I helped him study, so he wouldn't have to cheat. Me and the girls."

"Girls? You mean Lanie and Rebecca?"

"Yes, and Denise-but Denise stopped hanging around us towards the end of college." Jade swallowed the tension in her throat and walked to a nearby bench. She could feel his glare on her, still angry but so full of pain that she could feel herself beginning to shed a tear. "I should have cut those two off too. They were part of my study group in high school, so naturally they catered to the loner of the group when I brought David in…"

"Okay. And then what?"

"David was a fucking kleptomaniac, that's what, so I tried to give him something to focus on. A goal, a drive, I got him onto the baseball team…but that wasn't enough because Coach wouldn't let him play. So that wasn't _enough_. Same thing happened in college, we got into a lot of fights…I helped him get a job in the police department after college, but he wasn't satisfied that I was above him. He always complained about not being good enough, but the asshole never did anything to better himself."

"Gary, I have to ask." She took a deep breath and made eye contact with him, holding the intense glare with as much strength as she could. "Where does Holly come into this?" Gary straightened himself and clenched his fists.

"You're kidding me, right?" He scoffed at her and she jerked back.

"I don't honestly know her connection. I know my father said she was on the softball team and you liked her."

"Liked? Yeah I liked her." He laughed and shook his head as though some kid made a pathetic joke. He then fell silent and spoke with a low voice. "She was my wife." Her heart stopped and the muscles in her body tensed.

"I want to know why the fuck he snapped. I got that promotion, I had a family, I was successful. Then he snapped." Gary approached her as a cloud of rage and leaned forward, His eyes reminded her of a dragon, yet they still bore years of torture. His mighty hand fell onto the bench and his newest growl struck her face. "He lifted my wife and daughters from a K-Mart superstore. Sends me an anonymous note saying that he has them-I get demoted back to Detective for no fucking reason, and he's all of a sudden promoted."

"You know, he's my direct supervisor. I have to work in the same blasted building as that bastard. Every fucking day! He does it to keep an eye on me, you know-that's why I had to be careful hiring Erwin." Jade was stunned, but not surprised; she expected David might force the man to be close to him. As the phrase goes: Keep friends close, but enemies closer. "He'll hurt my girls if he knew I hired a PI..."

He straightened his posture and reached into a pack that Jade hadn't noticed had been on the bench. She felt her heart beginning to pound as he removed a manila folder. "I've kept everything that bastard sent me over the years. From the note telling me if I tried to do anything, he'd start killing my family…all the way to this."

Gary dropped the folder on her lap and turned his back to her. His body began to tremble and his eyes glared at David's now destroyed photo on the ground. Jade peered down at the folder and tucked her thumb beneath it.

She still wasn't sure if Gary was telling the complete truth regarding Holly and the girls, but it was hard to deny. Yet, she sensed that the minute she opened the folder, she might get her answer.

Guided by a heaviness inside, she carefully lifted the front flap. What she saw next startled her. It was a polaroid photo with a note attached that read "This is what happens when someone speaks out. I don't think I need to remind you what will happen again if you try to contact the police instead of your daughter…"

Her hand moved to her chest and a startled sob escaped her lips while fresh tears poured down her cheeks.

In the photo was a thirteen year old girl, easily recognized as Trina, lying motionless on the ground. Her eyes bore a vacant emotion and her face was red and streaked with tearstains. Her purple shirt was torn at the collar and pulled partially down her left shoulder, revealing a brightly colored bruise on her bare skin.

Holly was with her, holding her daughter in her arms. Her face was immortalized with a scream in the photo. Next to Trina was Tori, holding Trina's hand to her face and weeping.

"Mark my words," Gary muttered angrily, "If Erwin doesn't find a way to get my family away from that maniac, I will kill the man myself. That isn't a threat. You don't understand…I have literally nothing to lose anymore."

"But everything to gain." She closed the folder and watched him look back over his shoulder. "We'll solve your case, Mr. Richardson. We'll get them out." Her voice shook with fear and grief, but her eyes lit up with a determination that swelled her heart. "I know you don't think I can do much because I'm just a teenager, but Mr. Vega has no idea that I'm working with a private investigator…"

"Just do the job. I don't know how much more I can take, and at this rate-it's either him or me as far as I'm concerned." Gary turned fully and stretched his lips into a violent scowl. "If that man so much as lays a finger on my daughters or my wife, I'm not going to wait for you or Erwin. If he hurts any of them _one more time_, I'm taking matters into my own hands. Fuck doing it the legal way."

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><p>So this chapter answers a lot of burning questions, but again it only adds more questions. Can Jade help the women? That is a lot of anger from Gary, but to put oneself in his shoes, his anger is nowhere near surprising. At this point it is safe to say at least three people are contemplating murder: Gary, Holly, and Trina. It would make matters worse, so let us hope it does not come to that. You see now what happened to Trina, and why it was done: Control.<p> 


	11. Play Ball

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: I really have no title for this chapter...

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><p>Chapter 11 (Play Ball)<p>

In her right hand she held a long, black duffel bag with its zipper partially open to reveal a number of aluminum bats and multiple balls. On her left hand was a brown baseball mitt. As she stood on the Vega family porch, Jade questioned whether or not her plan was going to work.

She wanted to talk to Holly, but needed to do so in a way that the woman would feel comfortable, and this was the only way she knew to do. While it might bring the woman out of her element, or bring back old memories, it would be a way to bond. "Beck, are you coming?"

Jade looked over her shoulder as Beck's car alarm chirped. "Yeah, yeah, hold on." As if they had time. The Vega women didn't have time, their time had been used up.

Once he made it to her side, she tossed the bag into his chest, causing him to stumble backwards as his arms flew to the bottom of the bag. "Hold on to these for me." His right eyebrow drifted up and his mouth opened, but the creaking of the door drowned out his words. Tori stepped into view, her eyes dropped onto the bag and she started to point. "I'll explain. What's your dad up to?"

She had a hard time calling the man that, but Sikowitz told her to act the part, even if the women suspect she might be working on a case. Their fears were that terrible things might happen if the police investigated, and since that included private investigators or any well-meaning Samaritan snooping around, they would very likely clam up.

"He's taking a nap." Tori guided them inside and Beck tossed the bag onto the couch. His hands moved to his back and a gruff sigh drifted away from his lips. Jade spotted Trina standing beside the refrigerator with a bottle of water in her hand, and Holly was standing in the hallway's entry arch. The two women were staring at the duffel bag with heavy suspicion.

"I was wondering if you'd be interested in a game of baseball. Maybe we could play in the backyard?"

"Why?" Trina asked coldly. A skeptical glimmer shone in her eyes and fled when she blinked.

Beck answered for her, waving his hand in the air. "I was thinking of getting involved in the sport." Holly moved forward as her eldest daughter complained about Beck wanting something else to be perfect at. "In fact, I think five of us would be a perfect number to practice with."

"Five?"

"Yeah. You, your sister, Jade, and your mother here." Holly sputtered and moved her hand up to her chest. Jade was astonished by Beck's approach, but she admired his gusto. "I heard she used to play."

"Oh?" Holly dropped her hand to her waist and Jade began to fret. "And where did you hear this?" The woman's eyes narrowed and Jade slowly looked at her boyfriend. Beck kept his cool demeanor and shrugged.

"A friend of mine goes to another school, we were flipping through an old yearbook that belonged to his uncle, and we saw a picture of you on a softball team." Jade smirked and Holly's hand dropped down to her side. "Think you still got it? Or has age gotten the best of you?"

"Did you just call our mother out?" Tori asked in surprise. Holly grabbed the baseball glove with a scoff and hoisted the strap of the duffel bag to her shoulder.

"I didn't get old, thank you very much." Age didn't have much to do with skill in playing sports, at least not in Jade's mind.

She followed them out the back door and felt a familiar vibration in her pockets; someone was texting her. She grabbed the phone and watched Beck stop and look over her shoulder as though expecting her to keep walking.

"Sorry, I've got a text. Set up the game." He nodded and she peered down at the phone. It was Robbie, wanting to know if she had any idea why Beck wasn't talking to him anymore. He was also asking where they were, but she couldn't tell him they were with the Vega family. _"We're at the karaoke bar,"_ she lied, _"With Cat."_

Her next move was to send Cat a text, asking her to go to the karaoke bar where Robbie was likely to look for them. If Robbie showed up, Cat could tell him that Beck and Jade had already left and didn't want to be bothered. It was complex, but Jade felt it was the best way to send Robbie away for a while.

Cat was willing to do the deed, despite her discomfort. Partially, Jade felt bad about having her friend deal with Robbie, but it was the best way to deal right now.

"Are you done texting or are we not playing ball?" Holly's quick and eager tone stunned her. The woman was standing in the center of the yard with her hands on her hips and her eyebrow arched. Jade smirked and ran out into the yard.'

"Sorry about that. A friend of mine wanted to know where Beck and I were." She turned her eyes over to her boyfriend and saw his smile quickly fade and a knowing look shone in his eyes.

While the women cleaned up the yard a bit, she moved over to Beck and crossed her arms. "I know you're angry with Robbie, but he is your cousin, Beck-" Beck cut her off with a scoff and turned his gaze away from her.

"He is not my cousin." The hate in his voice was tremendous as well as terrifying. She couldn't fault him for it. It was no secret that he was still dealing with all that he discovered. Robbie had once been one of his greatest friends, and like Andre, they did almost everything together when they were children. "Next thing you know, you'll tell me Andre's a prick."

"Nah, he seems like a genuine guy." Andre and Cat weren't involved in all of this. They couldn't be. "Andre's mom knew David, Gary, Holly and our parents, but she cut them out of their life."

Beck scratched behind his neck and started to chuckle. "Well, his mom was never too fond of me or of Robbie. Maybe it had something to do with our mothers?"

"Nothing surprises me at this point…" There was much more she could tell him. She wanted to tell him just how bad of a man David was-certainly he'd feel as sick as she had if he knew about the photograph-but Sikowitz told her that civilians were unable to see evidence of a case. Not only that, but Beck was already stressed enough. "Come on, let's play."

"I thought we weren't seriously playing?"

"Oh we are. The work of a profiler is observation and understanding the facts." He raised an eyebrow and she turned to see Tori and Trina walking towards them. There were five of them, and Holly was going to pitch. "Okay, we need a catcher. I'll volunteer if no one else wants to."

"Sounds fine," Beck replied, "That leaves someone to retrieve the ball once the batter hits it. I'm good on my feet, the yard isn't too big, so I'll be the runner."

They would rotate spots, and everyone would have a chance to bat. Although judging by the determined look on Holly's face, the woman wasn't going to give up her job as the pitcher, and Jade wasn't about to request that she does so.

The group played a straight game for half an hour without Jade asking any questions; she wanted them to be relaxed and needed time to think. Holly and the girls were having fun, which was good since she wanted to get their minds off the obvious situation they were in.

"So I'm curious," Beck announced as he stepped up to bat. Jade watched nervously as he made eye contact with the pitcher. Tori was at the tree that signified first base, Trina was at the large stone signifying third base, and Jade remained behind him with the catcher's glove. "If you don't mind me asking, who is that officer that keeps coming around?"

She held her breath and watched as Holly's brow furrowed. The woman turned sideways and brought the ball up before her chest, ready to toss it while Beck pat his shoulder with the bat. "Officer Richardson? He works directly beneath David. David brings him around from time to time-I imagine he likes to show off his wealth."

"Mr. Vega's one of _those_ employers? The ones that act better than their employees?"

"Sure…" Beck swung the bat in the air and dropped his shoulders with a sigh. "Your mother was over the other day, by the way. We used to be friends once." Jade raised an eyebrow and turned her eyes onto Holly.

This was new, and it surprised her to hear.

"You _knew_ Mrs. Oliver?" Jade tried to conceal her startled gasp, but she still let it slip. Holly threw the ball and Beck swung the bat, missing the first toss.

"Yes. Her and Ms. Shapiro as well. Lanie, Rebecca and I were all on the softball team together in high school. Unfortunately, our friendship ended just before graduation."

"What happened?"

Holly shrugged and readied another pitch. "I got a scholarship that Lanie wanted. She thought if she got the scholarship, she'd bring some money in to stop her family from getting a divorce." Robbie's grandparents had split up, but she thought they'd gotten back together. Or at least, the ones she was thinking of were on Mr. Shapiro's side, not Lanie's.

Beck tapped the ground with the bat, then huffed. "My mother stopped being your friend because you got a scholarship that Mrs. Shapiro wanted? Seems hardly fair." Holly's mouth twisted into a long frown and her eyes seemed to flicker with a bit of sorrow.

"Things weren't so simple with your mother. You could ask her, but I'm not too sure she'd say. Sometimes friends don't always stay together. Rebecca, Lanie and I didn't see eye to eye on things, there's a lot they blamed me for during high school, so we just didn't stay friends." Holly's eyebrow rose and she tilted her head to the right. "What's with the questions?"

Jade felt a sudden jolt of pain spread over her chest. Her eyes drifted to the back door and her temperature began to rise. _"Mr. Richardson and Mr. Vega had disagreements, but so did Holly with Lanie and Rebecca?"_ She had pondered how a man like David, weak minded and withdrawn, could possibly mastermind this whole plot against Gary, and why-but now the question that struck her was a different one: Could he really have been the one to take charge or was there something more that she didn't know?

She knew all about high school rivalries, and just how catty teenage women could be. Whatever went down between the girls on Holly's softball team must have been horrendous.

Sikowitz always said to look for motive: Lanie's parents separated and she blamed Holly for taking a scholarship. Could Lanie therefore blame Holly for ruining her life, and could she in turn have wanted to ruin Holly's? Both mothers were connected to David-so he was either in charge or a pawn whose head got too big.

Holly lowered her arms and looked over to her daughters momentarily before glancing back to Beck and Jade. "Look, I don't want to talk about this anymore, and I think we're done playing." They obliged without question, and Jade had no more desire to press the woman.

She straightened herself and watched the girls walk inside, followed by Beck. She started after them, but Holly stepped in front of her-startling her. The woman crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Jade. "I know what you're doing." She started to play it cool and act as though she didn't have an ulterior motive, but she wasn't wanting to tick Holly off at this point.

"I just want to know, Mrs. Vega-"

"I am _not_ 'Mrs. Vega'." Jade frowned and turned her eyes to the diamond ring on Holly's finger. Holly followed her gaze and lifted her hand, sighing at the ring. "This isn't David's either." She dropped her hand and her face started to tense. "It belongs to my husband, who tells me a teenager started working for the investigator he hired…I guess that's you?"

Jade remained silent on the matter, too nervous to answer for fear of saying the wrong thing. She held her breath for a minute before releasing it. "You're still married to the other man?"

"I wouldn't divorce him. That man's doing what he can-I'll die before my daughters are put into any further danger." How much did this woman know about Sikowitz's investigation? Somehow Gary got in touch with her, and while that was a good thing, it was dangerous.

"How far would you go to protect your girls?"

"Enough to put cyanide in the monster's drink if I didn't think it would separate me from my children…"

"Hopefully it won't come to that." She followed Holly inside the house and looked to the couch. Trina and Tori were sitting down. Beck was standing over at the kitchen table, studying her curiously.

Her phone vibrated once more and she checked it with a sigh. This time it was Andre texting her. _"I need to talk to you and Beck about something."_ She felt a knot in her stomach and looked up to her boyfriend. She had no way of knowing if Andre had something good to discuss or not, but his statement sounded cryptic if nothing else.

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><p>So intriguing thoughts brought up here, would you say? What are your thoughts? Also, do you think Andre has anything important to say-he's certainly not a part of everything on. Like Cat, a bystander.<p> 


	12. Losing Time

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

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><p>Chapter 12 (Losing Time)<p>

As Tori insisted on a game of poker, Jade remained at the Vega home and issued Andre to come by there. It was a risky move, but he needed to talk to them in that moment-while she did not want to leave the girls alone.

"Nice to see you," Tori guided the nervous man into the home. Jade's arms were across her chest and her fingers tapped her arm as she watched Andre toss a leather fedora onto the couch with a swift grunt.

"Hey Tori." Andre took a seat on the couch and looked up at the girl. "I need to speak with Beck and Jade about something." Jade raised an eyebrow at him and watched Tori nod before moving up the nearby stairs while saying something about calling Ian. "She's really taken with that guy, isn't she?" Andre pat his knees and looked up to the couple.

Jade closed her eyes and let her shoulders fall slightly. "Yes." There was nothing she wanted to tell him regarding Ian, or Tori's relationship with the man. Hell, while waiting for Andre to arrive, Tori was telling Jade about how the two of them nearly kissed.

Tori was afraid to, only because she was afraid of what could happen. So Jade told her to let it progress naturally, and if something came of it-then it would be hers.

"I'm not sure she knows how to handle a relationship though." In Tori's situation, it would be difficult to really understand how relationships worked, but it wouldn't be impossible. "Anyway…" She sat beside him and Beck stood next to the coffee table. "You said you wanted to talk to us. What about?"

Andre ran his hand over his neck and let his shoulders fall. "My mother." He pulled his hand away, then blew out a sharp breath. "Doesn't think I should be friends with you guys." She jerked her head back and started to protest, but it was Beck who broke the silence.

"What? What did we do?" Beck shouted out and Jade reached over to him, hoping to calm him. "What does your mother have a problem with?"

"I don't know, man." Andre looked past the two of them and towards where Tori had left. "There's some fucked up shit that I don't understand. Maybe it has to do with her politics, but maybe it's something else. I don't plan on not being friends with you guys, but I wanted to let you know what's what."

Jade rolled her head to the side and pursed her lips. "You said there was something you don't understand." Her hands circled her knees and her brow furrowed as the two men looked her way. "Can I ask what?" She didn't want to lose his friendship, but more importantly, she didn't want Beck to lose the man. He'd known Andre much longer than she had, and she knew just how distraught he'd be if Andre truly did cut ties.

"The Vegas." She raised an eyebrow and Andre started to relax. He brought a hand up to his forehead and closed his eyes. "I don't get to see mom very much because she's a Senator, right? I live with Grandma, she lives at the state capitol. Well I was talking about my friends-including new friends, right?"

"Go on."

"I brought up Mr. Vega and she got all concerned, asking me how I knew him and everything." Her eyes widened a bit and her heart skipped suddenly. Andre scratched his neck, then tugged slightly on his shirt collar. "She seemed certain that Mrs. Vega _isn't _married to the guy, that there's no way. Then she said Mrs. Shapiro and Mrs. Oliver couldn't be trusted as much as Mr. Vega, or something like that. She's never liked them, never trusted them, and so she doesn't think I should be so trusting of you or Robbie."

How much would she be allowed to tell him? She knew there was a limit to what she could reveal, Sikowitz went great lengths to make sure she understood that what was to be used in investigations needed not to get out, otherwise the evidence couldn't be used.

For instance, Beck still didn't know exactly what the photograph was that David had sent to Gary for control, nor did he know what had been done to the girls. All he knew was that David was dangerous, and he was likely sleeping with both Lanie and Rebecca.

"Andre, what does your mother know about Beck's and Robbie's mom?" Andre dropped his hand. A wrinkle popped up between his eyebrows and his mouth appeared to shrink. "Maybe she knows something about their relationship with David?" He chuckled once and nodded at her.

"She said the two were always looking out for him because they felt bad for him or something. I don't know exactly what that means."

Neither did she, but it sounded as though the two women could have done something more for David-how far did their 'concern' for him reach? Whatever the case was, she needed to know more about the two women, and that wasn't going to be easy.

Andre paced to the right and bounced his hands in front of his chest as he spoke. "Mom said she was Mrs. Vega's best friend once, that she was the one who introduced them to some study group she had in high school. There was Mr. Vega, someone named Gary, and then Mrs. Oliver and Mrs. Shapiro. Mr. West was there too. Mom thought she could help them with their project. Turns out Beck's and Robbie's mom already knew her."

Jade's slid her forefinger over her upper lip and started to hum. She was more curious now, but she couldn't outright ask him to elaborate. "Something happened with my mom and the others, She called Mrs. Shapiro insane. Said she was sick." He scratched his head and looked at the stairs. "Not to mention she and Mrs. Oliver were obsessed with Mr. Vega. I don't know the deal with that, but Mom said they were always pandering him and babying him because he was such a loner."

"Your mother said all this, Andre?"

"She was ranting."

That made sense, otherwise she couldn't understand how the woman would tell her son so much. Regardless, it was good noteworthy information.

From the facts, she knew David was a weak-minded man that was jealous of the life Gary had; then the two women did not like Holly. She had to wonder if their efforts to destroy Holly's life, but to give David a life, led to this tragedy they now had before them.

Then, if they knew what David had done to the three girls, they would truly be heartless. Her money was on them not knowing exactly what went on under his roof. _"How much time do I have to figure this out?"_

Furthermore, who was in control? It couldn't be David, so it had to be one of the two women. "Why does Mrs. Harris think Mrs. Shapiro is psychotic?"

"Because she's dangerous?" Andre swept his hands out and moved to the recliner, dropping into the chair near him. "You know my dad's dead, right? Mom went back to using her maiden name after that."

"You mentioned your dad and brothers passed away in the 90's."

"It's a tough subject," Beck replied knowingly, "He doesn't talk much about it." Andre's hand covered his eyes and he shook his head. "Back when they all lived in New Orleans, and a few years after he was born, his dad and two older brothers got caught in a fire."

Her stomach knotted up and she watched Andre's hand fall to the arm of the chair. "Mom said she was speaking out about something Robbie's mom did, but she wouldn't say what. She said the woman found them, started that fire…but the investigators at the time ruled it as an accidental fire because it was started from the stove, but mom swears she didn't leave anything on that stove that night. She's OCD, everything needs to be in its proper place, otherwise she can't rest. There's no way she forgot a pot on the stove."

She choked on a single breath of air and moved her hand up to her chest. Andre started to tremble, then he looked away with narrow eyes. "Mom swears it was Mrs. Shapiro. She even saw the woman there that same day, hours before the fire. There wasn't any way to prove it…so you can see why she doesn't trust her?"

"Yeah, I think so. What about you?"

"Man, I don't know." He sighed and his chest sunk in as his gaze appeared to search the floor. "I…I trust my friends. I don't want to stop being friends with you just because mom can't stand someone. I'm sure she has her reasons, I just wish it didn't affect me."

"It doesn't have to," Beck remarked, "You already said you didn't want to stop being friends-so don't." Beck looked away and narrowed his eyes at the nearby television. Jade couldn't help but to wonder what it was he was thinking of, but she didn't want to ask. The man had done enough mulling over things, more than he deserved.

"I uh." Jade tapped her fingernails on her knee and made eye contact with Andre. "I didn't know you lived in New Orleans, Andre. Yet your mom's a senator here in California?"

"It was brief." Andre spread his fingers out and then crossed his arms over his chest. "Mom didn't even have the chance to declare residency there. We moved back in with Grandma after the fire."

"And you still live with your grandma. Why?"

"Grandma was always afraid whoever started that fire would come after us, and mom's not much different in that thinking, so Grandma's insistence that I stay with her pretty much won out."

"I see." The irony of such a situation was, if true, Andre would likely be safer with his mother than his grandmother. Still, the fact that Andre was in Robbie's life as well as Beck's was a pretty good indicator both mothers knew of him, and very likely didn't care. "I don't think your mom has anything to worry about. You're not in any immediate danger."

Plus, she wasn't worried about him. He'd be fine so long as he kept out of things; she was already endangering Beck as it were and did not want to endanger anybody else.

Jade rose from the couch and took one last look at the boys. She felt they needed some time to talk, especially with the tension and anger both likely felt. Beck could tell Andre what little information he did know, which amounted to the stuff that Jade was confident wouldn't cause problems in investigations.

"I'm going to use the restroom. You'll be alright?" Andre nodded and Beck waved her off with his hand.

She made her way upstairs, to the only restroom she knew of in the house. It was best to remain careful, as she didn't want a repeat from the last time she was upstairs.

As she approached the room, she passed the master bedroom. The door was cracked open and she heard David talking to somebody. "I can't do that." His sentence made her stop in her path and she slowly pushed herself up against the wall, then turned her ear towards the door. "Look, that's just too much."

"I don't care," A woman's voice answered. Her voice was garbled and static-like, as though she were on speakerphone. Jade scrunched her brow and pushed her right palm against the wall. "Once they turn eighteen, they'll move, and do you think you'll still be in control?"

"But murder?"

"Oh for god sake, David. Don't go soft on me now, even Rebecca's beginning to loosen up." Jade pulled her head back slowly. Her voice caught in her throat and her heart began to crack. "You've had ten years, give or take a couple. Once they turn eighteen, they're free."

"But Rebecca's Police Commander-there's no way the police would believe them."

"My uncle is retired, David. All those women have to do is go above Rebecca, and everything's over."

"But you-"

"I know. I know this was the answer, but I wasn't thinking so far ahead. You have to do it David. I know you don't want to, but it's the only way."

She wanted to move, but fear had glued her feet to the floor. By what she was hearing, it sounded like Rebecca was the weak link, but what did that matter? _"How much time do I have?"_ Her hand cupped over her throbbing chest, and her eyes slammed shut. _"They're going to kill the girls."_

Her hand trembled and a gasp fell from her lips. "Is somebody out there?" David called. Her eyes shot open and with adrenaline coursing through her veins, she bolted down the stairs.

Within minutes she was banging on Sikowitz's door, screaming for him to open. There was a tremendous amount of noise she could hear from inside, which greatly concerned her until Sikowitz finally answered.

"Miss West, would you relax?" Sikowitz raised an eyebrow and Jade pushed past him, stumbling into the living room and stopping when she saw somebody else present.

"Who?" This was a man that appeared to be Trina's age, but a couple years older. He was wearing a white martial arts uniform, and a black belt around his waist. His sandy brown hair was neatly trimmed, and his determined eyes seemed to focus on the mannequin in front of him.

"My nephew." Sikowitz closed the door and stepped behind her, crossing his arms. "He's practicing. Jason works at a tae kwon do studio a few blocks from here." She watched the boy perform a round kick, striking the top of the mannequin. His eyes did not move away.

"Oh." She felt a pull that distracted her, but only momentarily. Remembering the girls, she turned back to Sikowitz. "I've come at a bad time?"

"No, although I would prefer you show up at my office. What troubles you?"

"The girls are in danger."

"Yes. That's the purpose of the investigation…" Sikowitz moved his arms behind his back and furrowed his brow. "That is why Officer Richardson hired me, and essentially, the reason I hired you is because Mr. Vega would recognize that I am a private investigator."

"No, I mean that I heard something. Something serious. We need to talk-we need to get those girls out of there. I don't know how, but we have to." Sikowitz furrowed his brow and Jade looked to Jason. The man stopped and was wiping his sweat-glazed neck with a white towel.

"Okay we'll talk." Sikowitz stepped back and motioned to Jason. "Jason, I need you to go elsewhere."

"Alright," Jason replied, "I should get back to the studio anyway. I have to work on recruitment."

"Sure. Will I expect you and your mother for dinner?"

"Of course."

Jade waited until he was left, then asked about the 'recruitment' statement as per her brief burst of curiosity. Sikowitz bypassed her and made his way towards the refrigerator. "Jason's studio, or dojo as he sometimes calls it, is going around to recruit martial artists to a camping trip. It's a national trip that occurs over the summer, and they'd like to find more people from California."

"Oh." Summer was steadily approaching, so there couldn't be a whole lot of time left. It could be possible for them to get Trina involved, but there was no way she'd leave while Tori remained. "Maybe we can use that?"

"Tell me what's on your mind first."

"Mr. Vega's not the one in charge." She watched her mentor nearly trip over his foot. Sikowitz turned his eyes onto her and his lips parted slightly. "Lanie and Rebecca are, and I have a feeling it's something Holly did-not Gary. Furthermore, I think I heard Lanie on the phone with David…she wants him to kill the girls."

"Shit."

* * *

><p>So they don't know how much time they have left, and they now know there's more than just David that poses a problem. The primary objective is to get the girls to safety first, and the martial arts camp may hold some promise. However, they still need to figure a way to get the girls to safety where David can't control anything. Then they need to figure out how to get the evidence to work in their favor. What are your thoughts while reading this chapter? What do you think will happen, or what needs to happen? Your thoughts are valued and appreciated. Let's also not forget everything Andre said in mentioning what his mother was on about.<p> 


	13. Garnering Support

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 13 (Garnering Support)<p>

_"You will have to figure a way legally."_

The words pounded mercilessly on her brain as she approached the studio where Sikowitz said Jason worked at. Their talk revealed the sense of urgency, but the trouble with the lack of evidence they had to move on the women. They could potentially get David, but they needed to access the risk of Lanie and Rebecca-but Jade wanted to get Trina and Tori to safety first.

She had ideas, and since Sikowitz said he couldn't pull them out legally or without tipping off David and the two mothers involved, she had to go about this strategically.

There was a way she could pull Trina from the danger zone sooner, but it would be difficult. Sikowitz was going to talk to the martial arts instructor at Hollywood Arts about aligning her class with Jason's studio, to make the class take the trip-but regardless it would be a while before they could make the trip.

The loophole was easier said than done: Jason was in charge of camp counselors, and he was still looking for some. A camp counselor would be able to teach, to provide assistance in daily activities, but they would need adequate training. In just a mere week or two, he would be off to train those accepted, and they'd be gone until the time of the camping trip-leaving adequate time for Sikowitz to conduct a full investigation on David, Rebecca, and Lanie.

"Once I get past Jason, I need to convince Trina." She muttered to herself and stopped before the door of the studio. Her eyebrows moved in together and her lower lip pouted as her heart began to pulsate. "I'm rushing, going about this backwards I know, I just…there's no way in hell Trina will do this if Tori's left behind."

That said, there was no way Tori would leave if Trina were left behind. She did have a plan for Tori, however, and that plan could be easier than what she was doing for Trina.

On her way over, she remembered Tori having mentioned something about Ian going on a long trip with his parents, it was to be a scientific study of the environment-they would be traveling across the country.

Jade wanted to contact Ian, have him and his mother suggest that Tori join them for this trip.

The final step would be ensuring that the girls were able to leave. Holly's personality resonated with Jade, she was confident the woman would not hesitate to send her daughters away if it meant their safety. She just needed to do this in a way that David could not control the situation.

Hence, the reason Sikowitz would be chatting up the martial arts instructor. That instructor could make the trip a requirement for her students. David was a stickler for rules and order, he made sure the girls got to school for a reason, and that would mean he'd have to let Trina go on a required trip. Then Trina wouldn't be able to turn down a required trip.

"All the planning's in my mind." She took a deep breath and put her hand to the door. "Putting it into action is the rough part."

As she pushed the door, she could hear the sounds of men and women grunting and shouting. The stench of sweat hit her like a tidal wave, catching her off guard for a moment.

_"My nephew works there as the senior most student."_ She scanned the area carefully. The building was about the size of a full gym, and it was built like one on the inside as well. Some were working out on machines while others were sparring with one another. _"The head Sensei leaves him in charge, but I wouldn't call Jason a sensei just yet. Still, he's very much like one-hard to miss when he's on the job."_

"So where is he?"

She looked to a sign beside the door and rolled her head to the right. There were many room numbers and indicators of where various classes were held. When she caught the martial arts room, she was delighted.

Eager to find Jason, she hurried down the nearest hallway, rushing until she came to a room that was larger than the area she had just come from. It had a blue mat that spread across the floor.

"Proper pose. Straighten up." She could hear Jason's voice, full of a commanding tone. Her eyes flew in his direction and landed on him. He was standing in the corner, helping a student with a white belt. "You need to keep your center of balance at waist level."

She started to approach, but with slight hesitation, and stopped when she saw his eyes turn onto her. He straightened up and folded his arms across his chest. "Can I help you?"

Jade stammered to get her response out, and forced herself to clear out the roughness she felt in her throat. "Yes." There was no question Jason was an attractive man. His strong shoulders were broad, his chest seemed large and the uniform he had seemed to cover what muscles she found herself wanting to see. "Sorry, I should introduce myself."

"Jade West. Uncle Erwin told me a little about you." Jason unfolded his arms and walked forward. His deep brown eyes locked onto hers, peering down his sharp nose. When he extended his hand, she stared at it as if she didn't know the gesture. "It's an odd place to talk, but he did call me to inform me that I should talk to a martial arts instructor at Hollywood Arts-and that I should be expecting you."

"That's right." She placed her hand in his and gasped at the firmness of his grip. After the handshake, he pulled back and crossed his arms again. "There's a girl in that class that needs to go on that trip, but there's another issue…"

"If my uncle's involved, I guess that would mean it has something to do with an investigation?" Jason let the student know to keep practicing, then motioned for Jade to follow him as he began walking. "I don't know much about the situation, but I am willing to talk to that instructor. As for an individual student, what can be done?"

"It's urgent, but I think you can help her." Jade stopped at a wall that was out of earshot of others in the room. Jason brought a hand up to his chin and leaned to the side a bit. "She's highly athletic, she's been involved in martial arts for several years…I think she'd make a good addition to your team of camp counselors."

His eyes slanted a bit and his fingers swept away from his chin by about an inch. "No." Her heart stopped. She could feel the world shattering around her, and started to demand an answer, but refrained knowing he might respond on his own. "I don't know this person. A camp counselor there needs to be proficient enough, they need to be trained other than the training they're going to go through at the camp training…I can't simply bend the rules for anyone."

"But it could be a matter of life and death. You're in charge of the counselors there, you could train her." Jade brought her hands up and closed them together, pleading with him as she'd never pleaded for anything as much. "Please consider this, Jason. She needs this, Trina _needs_ this. The sooner she can be gone, the better! She'll be good, I've seen her in action and she _is_ good."

The tension in Jason's face seemed to soften and he glanced to the side before moving his hands behind his back. "I haven't seen her in action, so I cannot make a judgment until I have. If _she_ wants it, I will consider a direct application. Is she even a black-belt?"

"I…" She didn't remember, and of course she couldn't say. There was a chance Trina was less than that, but would it matter? "Maybe you should just meet her and decide for yourself?" This man had a strong way about himself, and it made her nervous, just as nervous as she had been when she was being stared down by Trina.

There was a sobering emotion in his eyes, though. One of softness that seemed to negate some of the toughness that acted as a barrier around him. It was the same look Trina had, and it made her curious. Was there a scar that Jason bore as well? Everyone had something in their closet, but if there was anything she could utilize to get him to sympathize with Trina and aid her, she needed to use it.

As Jason turned his back to her, his uniform shifted a bit around the neck. She caught a glimpse of a scar, partially concealed by his collar. Her brow furrowed and she spoke swiftly, hoping to catch his attention. "She's had a tough life, I'll say that about her." He stopped and turned his head over his shoulder. "Been in a fight or two, I can't say she has any physical scars, but she might have a few emotional ones. That makes her insanely focused, devoted, driven…stronger…and she needs this more than anything, Jason. Have you ever been in a situation that left you broken? Hopeless? Scarred?"

Jason scoffed once and turned his head away. He rolled hi8s shoulders and tugged up on his uniform. "Tell her that I'm willing to meet with her and if she's truly interested, we'll see what happens. I have a little less than two weeks before I leave to start training all the counselors, so if she wants to have a spot, she'll have to talk to me before then."

She watched him walk off and held back a confident cheer. Maybe she could get his help after all, but she wasn't able to relax just yet. As tough as convincing Jason was, she still had to talk to Trina.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Her next task was less harrowing mentally, though she was still nervous. Walking up to Ian's home, part of her felt invincible after talking to Jason, but there was still a chance this could go wrong.

She met with Ian and his mother outside in the front yard. He was mowing the grass while she was working on trimming the hedges beside the home. His father was pushing a large trash bin to the curb. "Getting housework done, Ian?" He looked up from the mower and raised an eyebrow.

"Well we are heading on a vacation in a couple of weeks." He hung his elbow over the handle of the mower and crossed his right ankle over his left. "What's going on?"

"I just wanted to talk to you and your parents." Ian was wearing a loose, white shirt with grass stains, and faded blue jeans. His mother walked over, she was tall and wore a sun hate that shaded her smooth complexion. Her clothes were also covered with dirt and grass.

"Anything we can help with?" The woman asked.

"You're going on a country expedition kind of thing?"

"Yes." The woman pat her son's shoulder and smiled at Jade. "We want to teach Ian as much as we can. Biology and chemistry is everywhere, and there's so much to explore."

"Is there room for anyone else?" Ian straightened himself up and furrowed his brow as his mother pursed her lips.

"Mom's friend is tagging along." He crossed his arms and shrugged. "Veterinarian expert, I guess she's there to explain some stuff about wildlife and stuff that we come across. We're taking her vehicle, it's larger and can make the trip." Ian's chest expanded slowly and his right eyebrow drifted up beneath his bangs. "Why?"

From the sound of it, this could be a perfect opportunity for Tori to learn a few things herself. She took a deep breath and dared herself to come out with what she wanted without beating around the bush. "Have you considered taking Tori with you?" Ian swayed to the right and his mother gasped as though she had just received a startling idea.

"Ian dear, that girl could learn from Jenna. Victoria wants to be a veterinarian, right?" Ian turned his head to his mother and sept his right hand out slightly.

"I haven't heard anything about it from Tori. I'd like to ask, but I'm not sure how much she'd be willing to take that trip. It would be a long trip, and she'd be away from her mom and her sister. There's no way she'd go for that."

"I can talk to her," Jade replied. Not only could she talk to Tori, but she could definitely get Holly on board. As long as both girls knew the other would be somewhere safe, they'd go-and they would go if Holly insisted. There was no doubt in Jade's mind that Holly would insist both go off somewhere safe. "I'm willing to bet their mom would be all for it. But what about you, Mrs. Dennison?"

"I'll have to think about it," The woman replied. She scratched her chin and started to hum. "I do like the girl, she is nice in her way, and quite taken with our Ian." Ian closed his eyes and let out a heavy, embarrassed sigh.

"Mother…"

"I really hope you'll consider." Jade saw the woman look up, so she held the mother's gaze with a sense of urgency. She needed this woman to understand how important it was that they take Tori along, but without revealing too much. "You would be giving Tori her only chance, her one chance, this education could be the most significant thing for her-the best thing for her life."

When she put emphasis on the final words, she saw Ian's eyes enlarge and his lips separated suddenly. "Is something going on?" He asked in a hushed whisper. His mother looked over with concern, but also with a puzzled glance; she'd not heard his urgent question.

Jade smiled at him while holding her teeth together and sucking the air in between her teeth. "Tori needs this, Ian. Please consider."

"Yes." He exhaled and looked to his mother, then back at Jade. His arms fell to his sides and a crease formed on his forehead. "Anything. I'll talk to her, see if she wants to come along."

"Talk to Holly too."

"Now hold on," Mrs. Dennison started, "I still haven't given this much thought. We do need to discuss-"

"Something's going on Mom." Ian turned to her and she started to grow silent. "I can't tell you what's been going on with Tori, but you have to trust me. If Jade here is insisting like this, then this is important…"

"Is your friend in trouble?"

"I…I can't say. Just, let's talk to her and her mother, okay? Please?"

The woman's lips pressed into a thin line and she nodded once. "Alright dear." Jade closed her eyes and released the breath she'd been holding in the back of her mouth. "If you feel so strongly about it, I will talk to Holly."

"Let me set that up," Jade announced. There was no conceivable way of getting Ian and his mother into the Vega home, but surely she could find a way to get the girls-and their mother-out of the house. "I'll find a way to get Holly and the girls to the school. You can talk to her there."

The woman nodded and walked over to her husband to let him know what was going on. Ian looked strongly at Jade and his muscles tensed. "If you need me to, I'll find a way to put that monster in the house out of commission. Knockout gas, whatever you need…"

She held her hand up and shook her head. "No Ian." He inhaled sharply. "You don't need to do anything that will put you in a bad situation."

"It's Tori's life we're talking about, right?"

Jade reached forward, placing her hand on his forearm. When she made eye contact, his muscles started to relax. "It is her life, and right now, she needs you to be there for her. I know you want to protect her, keep her safe, but you're not going to do that by going after David…"

"If she's in any danger-"

"That's why I'm asking your family to do this, Ian. Let me handle the rest. Please." He furrowed his brow and ran his hand over his neck as she pulled away from him. "I'm working with an investigator on this. We just need those girls safe now, before we can move on David."

"Fine. Just…"

"We'll save her Ian. We'll save them. I have to do that, I have to believe that I can help somehow. Trust me. Work with me but be patient-be there for Tori. That's what you can do."

"What if she doesn't agree to even going on this trip?"

"She will. Even if she doesn't, Holly won't let her daughters remain in harm's way if there's a way for them to be safe." This could very well be the first chance that either daughter could reach safety. Yes, they had to be careful about how they did this, and to do this without David catching on.

If the school forced the camping trip, and Jason recruited Trina as a camp counselor, David would be unable to turn it down. As for the Ian's family vacation, Jade was certain he couldn't do a damn thing about that either.

He was losing control. She heard that in his voice when talking to Lanie. The man didn't sound like he wanted to kill the girls, which amazed her to a point. There was a chance he'd listen to Holly if she made things clear about Tori's going on this trip.

Regardless, once the girls were out of harm's way, Sikowitz may be able to act on David at least. Jade wasn't certain entirely, but the reason he was hesitating on David was because of Lanie and Rebecca. They could hurt the girls, and Gary wasn't allowing Sikowitz to go after David now that he was sure those two women could still threaten his daughters in retaliation for David's arrest.

There was still much to be done.

* * *

><p>So there's a chance, and perhaps hope. However neither girl is going to leave unless they know the other will be safe-but they may not have much choice if Holly insists. Which she most definitely would. The good thing appears to be that David is hesitating in his own movement, which <em>does<em> buy a little bit of time, and maybe just enough for Jade. The trick is getting Trina and Tori to agree. Trina may very well win Jason over, he's at least considering the idea. What are your thoughts? Ian and Jason may prove to be valuable allies, and if both girls are a safe distance away, Sikowitz and Jade may be able to pursue David, Rebecca, and Lanie. I don't think we're done with the Senator just yet either-currently that woman is the most powerful person here, do you think Jade could possibly find a way to ally with Andre's mother?


	14. Gaining an Advantage

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 14 (Gaining an Advantage)<p>

At the school, Jade had to wait at the cafeteria tables with patience. A virtue she did not typically have. It was important, however, since Tori managed to convince Holly to meet with her here. Ian and his mother were supposed to be here as well, and they had yet to arrive.

The area that surrounded her was filled with conversation, which was something she was thankful for. If nobody were around, she would be more concerned about meeting with Holly and the girls. Also, because she wasn't sure whether or not to trust Robbie, she had Beck keep him busy on the off chance he stumbled around the place-this was his frequent hangout spot.

She focused her gaze on a familiar cherry colored sedan pulling into the parking lot nearby and pulled her lips into a smile. "Ian and his mom are here. Finally." She leaned back in her seat and raised her hand up when she saw Ian leave the vehicle. Once he saw her, he led his mother over, though his attention was on the school that surrounded them.

"Hollywood Arts," Ian chuckled, "I still can't get over how strange this place feels." He sat down and folded his hands on the table. His mother, Julia, sat beside him. She swept her hair over her ear and closed her eyes.

"It isn't my first choice," she stated bluntly, "But I understand it's a sort of 'haven' for Victoria?" Julia's eyebrow rose and Ian's head and shoulders dropped with a loud sigh. "She seemed happier at Sherwood. At least we saw her more."

"Yeah." Ian ran his hand over the back of his neck and he leaned back slowly. "There's a reason for that, mom." He twisted partially in his seat and hung his elbow over the back of the chair. "They're not here yet?" Jade shook her head and scanned the parking lot. She was starting to worry, and had been struggling to relax. Tori did send her a text that they were fixing to leave, so she didn't know why she was so concerned.

Her worries were quenched when she saw Holly's car pulling into the lot. Ian seemed to relax as well when he saw Tori leave the passenger side of the car. "There she is," he whispered on a single breath. Jade's eyebrows slid upwards and she smiled as Ian stood up and met Tori with a long hug.

Holly passed the two of them, glancing at them for what seemed to be the longest time before she and Trina sat down at the table. "Okay Jade." Holly folded her forearms over and Jade moved her gaze into the woman's suspicious eyes. "What is this about? What are you doing that you wanted so badly to talk to me?"

"I'm sorry if it caused any trouble." She spoke of David, but didn't know how much would be safe for her to say in front of Ian and his mother. Holly's brow furrowed a bit and her fingers slid inside her hands.

"David is at work, if that's what you're wondering about. Evidently Officer Richardson called him into the office to look at something." She nearly fell from her chair in excitement. Sikowitz had tried to convince Gary to distract David somehow, so perhaps that's what happened. "David is…" Holly's eyes closed and she drew in a slow breath. "Acting strange lately."

She heard Trina scoff and turned just as the girl nudged Holly. "Did you tell her about the letter from my class? Tell her about that."

"Oh yeah. Apparently the martial arts class is requiring their students to attend this camp, otherwise they'll receive a low grade for class participation." A streak of pride pulsated from her heart and her lips slid into a slow smirk. Holly's fingers uncurled and the woman glanced at her daughter. "Strangely, David is allowing it because it involves school. Apparently my children doing well in school is important to him."

_"David wants Tori and Trina to get an education? How does that even make sense?"_ Her nose wrinkled and she looked to Tori, who had taken a seat between Ian and his mother. "There's something more I wanted to bring up about that trip, but first-"

"As much as I want to go," Trina interrupted, "That means leaving my sister and mother behind." Holly's head moved back and the mother's concerned gaze fell onto her. Tori leaned forward, looking past Julia and Holly, and studying Trina closely.

"You _need_ to go," she insisted. "Mom and I will be fine."

"No, you don't get it."

Holly put her hand to Trina's and the concern in her eyes turned sharp as she made eye contact with her daughter. "She's right." Trina's muscles tensed her lips clamped firmly against each other. "You're going on that trip, Trina. There's no question about it."

"It's just a grade, mom."

"It's _more_ than a grade."

Trina pulled away and crossed her arms. Her voice rose and her eyes narrowed. "I have to be here." Jade brought her hand up and perched her chin on her knuckles, watching in silence and waiting for the opportunity to bring up the vacation that Ian's family was going to invite Tori on. "For you and for Tori. I refuse to leave you behind with that…"

She stopped suddenly and her eyes flew towards Julia. Ian's mother had been silent the entire time, but Jade noticed a growing concern. Julia's hands were folded in her lap, her lips were pursed, and she had two long lines that appeared on her forehead.

"If I can say something?" Julia spoke simply, but quietly, as if she didn't know whether to interrupt the conversation or not. "Ian and I wanted to invite Tori on our vacation. We would be gone for some time, so we wanted to discuss the matter with you, Holly." Holly's lips parted and the tension on Trina's face seemed to vanish. Tori's hand moved up over her mouth and she turned to Ian, shocked by the invitation. "Is there anything that I should be concerned with?"

"No," Holly whispered, "No there isn't." Jade's eyebrows danced up and she looked away from the group to see if anyone at the other tables might have been overhearing. Fortunately nobody seemed to be paying any mind, and while she didn't think it would matter, she couldn't be entirely certain that David wouldn't have someone around.

As Holly spoke, each word came out slow and with a brief pause between them. "Let me get this straight." The mother leaned upright and her eyes drifted towards her youngest child. "You're going on vacation, and you want Tori to go along with you?"

"Yes."

"What is this trip?"

"It's a cross country expedition thing," Ian answered, "We're leaving in a week and we'd probably be gone for a few months. We'd be studying stuff related to biology, geology, chemistry…Mom's friend would be along as well, she's an animal specialist." He smiled knowingly at Tori, and Jade watched as excitement grew in the girl's eyes. "We'd love to have you."

Julia kept her focus on Holly. Jade was impressed the woman wasn't pressing the family on what they seemed to be arguing about just a few moments ago. "We have an arrangement set up with the schools." Julia brought her hand up to her chest and took a deep breath. "I'm on the school board and a member of the PTA myself, I have Sherwood on board, and I can get Hollywood Arts on board to give both Tori and Ian credit for their studies."

"I appreciate that," Holly answered. The woman smiled at Julia, then looked over to Tori. "Tori, would you go with them?" The question sounded more like one of a statement to Jade, an order from mother to daughter. Tori hugged Ian's neck, then nodded at her mom. "As long as Ian's parents are there, I am okay with this."

Julia brought her hand up to her chest and looked on with concern. "What about your husband?" Holly's next words came through clenched teeth, but her lips remained in the form of a smile. Feigned, most likely.

"I'm sure my husband will be just fine with it." When she put emphasis on the word 'husband', Jade wasn't sure which man Holly spoke of. Gary would be okay with it, but David might have difficulty accepting it. "David understands education comes first, and this is a great opportunity for Tori to not only span out and explore, but to get some important education out of the way."

"Of course."

"I will talk to him, but Tori will be allowed to go on this trip."

As she looked beyond Holly, Jade saw Mr. Sikowitz walking with Jason beside him. Her heart stopped for a moment and a nervous feeling struck her when she made eye contact with her mentor and his nephew.

"Um…" She cleared her throat and looked at Trina, frantically trying to figure out what she could say. "Now what I wanted to say about the martial arts thing, Trina…" Trina turned her head slowly and kept her eyes narrow. "I might have spoken to the guy in charge of all the camp counselors."

Trina straightened herself and folded her forearms on the table. "What about?"

"Well. The camp counselors leave in about a week to train for a couple months before camp." Trina's eyebrow rose and Jade watched Sikowitz and Jason begin their approach. "I was trying to convince him to take you in as a counselor, so you'd be leaving to the campsite as well."

"You did what?"

"That's a good idea," Holly announced with a firmness in her tone. Trina rolled her eyes and shot a look at her mother. Holly's voice lowered and she reaffirmed her position in a tone that she didn't want Julia to hear. "I don't want you and Tori staying in that house with that demon, if you don't have to."

"Fine." Trina brought her arms up to her chest and shrugged. "So what's the big deal?"

"He wants you to prove yourself," Jade replied hastily, "He doesn't know if you're ready or not." She needed to agitate Trina just a little, to make her want to go up against Jason and show him that she could do the job.

"Prove myself? He doesn't think I can do it?" Jason and Sikowitz stopped near the table, off to the side but still not noticed by Trina. Jason leaned to the side and crossed his arms over his slow expanding chest. "I could easily be one of the camp counselors, and I can fight. It isn't as if martial arts is new to me."

"Maybe it has something to do with you being a woman?" Jade smiled and Jason glared at her. Sure, he didn't sound like he had a sexist bone in his body, but Jade wanted Trina to show him her best.

Trina leaned back slowly and closed her eyes, scoffing angrily. "Really? Just because I'm a woman? Where is this man? I'd like to talk to him."

"Right here," Jason responded, "And I did not say-" Trina pushed herself up and spun to face him. Her hand sailed through the air to strike him, but he snapped his forearm upwards and blocked her strike. As he held is arm there, his sharpened gaze met with the inferno that was in her glare.

"You're the one that wants my class on this camping trip, and you don't think I can fight?"

"A camp counselor is more than fighting, but the ability and degree of your belt does matter if you're going to be one. I do not discriminate on gender, and I do not doubt your skill because you are a woman. I doubt your skill because I haven't seen you yet."

Trina's nostrils flared and her eyes darted to a patch of grass across the street. "Fine. My mother wants me to do this, so if I have to 'prove' myself to a man in order to leave that fucked up house earlier, then I will." She moved past him like a storm and motioned him towards the grass.

Before he made any movement, he turned his glare onto Jade. She averted her eyes, but could still feel his fire. "First rule of martial arts, do not fight angry. Your lie pissed her off, she will _not_ be at her best…" She cringed and looked up hastily, eager to apologize, but it was too late. The man was already following Trina.

"Well this should be entertaining," Tori said dryly, "I don't think my sister was planning to get into any fights today." Jade stood up and tightened her lips as the others followed her action.

"At least they're going across the street to spar," Sikowitz muttered, "Even sparring on school grounds might cause an issue." Jade stepped beside him and frowned when her mentor shook his head at her. "I'd already talked Jason into letting her join, Miss West."

She threw her hands into the air and groaned. "Why didn't you tell me? I thought he wasn't going to let her. He seems really hard to talk to."

"He's not." They started walking towards the street. Jade pursed her lips and watched Jason and Trina face one another. "He's quiet, and he's tough, but my brother-in-law made him that way."

"What do you mean?"

"Jason and my sister have seen their share of violence. He learned martial arts at a young age, because it was the only way to defend himself and his mother against that drunkard that married my sister." Sikowitz's face tensed and his hands started to close. "I explained to him that Trina could be in a similar situation that he'd been in with his father, and needed to get away from there earlier than that camping trip, and he agreed. He'll probably train her a little more than the other counselors because she's the only one that won't be a black-belt, but he's got a great deal of compassion under the exterior that he shows everyone. You should not have been so impulsive."

"Sorry." They crossed the street and approached the two people. She had a feeling there was something that Jason might have in common with Trina, but she was shocked to hear that it was so bad. "I saw a scar on his back. Was that from his dad?"

"Yes. Some of the scars aren't as visible, while others aren't even on the surface of his skin. Jason did everything to protect his mother growing up, even if that meant he took all the abuse…"

"What happened to that man?"

Sikowitz's shoulders rose and his voice fell nearly to a whisper. "I told him if he ever touched my sister or nephew again, I'd tear into him myself. I was the one that got Jason into martial arts-when he was just eight years old. By the time he was ten, he stood up to his dad."

"They fought?"

"Jason isn't one to throw a punch. He never struck his father, but he learned to deflect and diffuse the man's anger. That man eventually drank himself to death."

"I'm sorry."

Now she wanted to call out to Trina and let her know she didn't have to spar with the man, but she got a sense that this was some sort of lesson to be learned. From what Jason had said moments before about not fighting with anger.

As expected, Trina made the first move and lunged for Jason as a lioness ready to tear into its prey. Jason threw his hands up and leaned back, twisting his upper torso to the right and dodging a fierce blow.

Trina let out an angry snarl and swung her arm outwards, but missed as Jason ducked and swept himself away to the side. "Calm down," Jason urged, "You'll use up all your energy in your first few attacks. You'll never be able to finish your opponent if you're fighting like this."

"I can finish off anyone," Trina scoffed, "I know how to fight."

"Then show me."

As the sparring match raged on, Jade could see Trina growing weary over time. None of her attacks were connecting with their intended targets, causing her to lose more energy each time.

It was like a dance, with each fluid motion of the two as one. Her strike, his dodge. The more she was on the offense, the more he would take a step back and instruct her to stop and breathe.

"He's been practicing for ten years," Sikowitz muttered at one point. Jade closed her eyes and groaned when she heard Tori say Trina had not been practicing for anywhere near that time. Not since before what David had done to her.

The dance ended with Trina on her knees, pounding the ground and trembling as the sunlight glistened in the sweat on her body. Jason stood in front of her, his arms were crossed and his feet were spread apart. He had a very straight and neat posture, and seemed prepared if Trina tried to strike at his feet.

"You're not ready," he said coldly. Trina turned her gaze to him. A whimper fell from her lips and pierced Jade's heart. Her eyes widened and her jaw fell. This was the first time she'd seen this side of Trina.

He unfolded his arms and extended his right hand to her. Her muscles tensed for a moment and her eyes dropped to his open palm. After several seconds, she relaxed and placed her hand in his, allowing him to help her to her feet.

"When you fight someone while angry, you spend a lot of energy attacking them. You don't watch their movements, you don't get to see what's coming at you. They can dodge, and when they do, you lose that energy that didn't connect with the other person. You're determined though, I can see that."

"I don't get it." Trina pulled her hand away from him and narrowed her eyes. "I've done nothing but focus on this."

"I've been at it a very long time." Jason shrugged and his eyes closed for a moment. "Counselor or not, you need a lot of training. Of course, I'll be happy to teach you what I can, so feel free to join me when I leave to the campsite next week."

Trina's eyes widened and she started to say something, but then closed her mouth.

Regardless of circumstances, Jade was thrilled. Trina and Tori would both, very likely, leave next week and that would leave things open for Jade to freely investigate David and the two mothers without fear of harm coming to the girls.

Holly and Gary could both breathe some relief there. Holly would still be in a dangerous position, but she had a feeling the mother didn't care. "This is a good turn of events," Sikowitz said under his breath, "I will have Jason be present when Holly goes to talk to David about the girls leaving."

"Why?"

"You've profiled the man enough. You tell me."

She looked away from him and studied Jason closely. He could be an imposing figure, sure, and David already had one tussle with Ian-who looked to be half Jason's size. "David's a weak minded man. He'd be intimidated just by Jason's presence?"

"Precisely. It's not often I'll send my nephew into the fire, but Jason knows how to deal with combative people…after all, I don't think David is anywhere near the threat that Trenton was."

"Trenton?"

"Jason's father."

"Oh…" There was more Jade wanted to do, more that she needed to do. Rebecca was the weak link in this conspiracy chain, and the fact that she was dating the woman's son gave her an advantage. "Then soon, I'll be having a sit-down with Mrs. Oliver. I think it's time she and I had a little chat." Sikowitz raised an eyebrow, then warned her to be careful. She wouldn't reveal anything they were working on, but she knew how to get under the woman's skin. "The woman never liked me."

"What mother does like the girl dating their son?"

"Eh, good point, but I think I can use that."

* * *

><p>So Ian and Jason both are on board here, and the girls will go to safety. What this means for the story is they won't be present-though Jade may correspond with them via mail or phone, but they will be safe. Do you think David will take it easily though? Jason will be present with the mindset of explaining why Trina has to leave for training as a camp counselor. There's still much to be done though, but for now, it looks like the girls will be safe-and good on Holly ensuring both her daughters went along with their respective trips.<p> 


	15. Controlling the Situation

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 15 (Controlling the Situation)<p>

She joined the girls in talking to David, mostly she wanted to see how this conversation would happen. Holly was astonishingly okay with this, but Jade felt certain that Jason would keep control of the situation. He was there to explain to David why it was necessary that Trina leave now.

When she told Beck that she'd be at the home during this, he was terrified for her. Even now, he was sending a flurry of texts just to make sure she was alright-and nothing happened yet.

"Your uncle didn't tell you much?" Jade looked at the car parked in front of hers. Jason was standing beside the driver's side door. "About Trina's situation?"

"Is there supposed to be something more than my explaining why she needs to leave for the camp counselor job?" She hesitated and slowly swept her hair over her shoulder. Of course Sikowitz wasn't going to tell Jason everything, for the same reason she couldn't tell Beck much. Whatever Trina told him would be different, most likely, and up to her.

She shrugged and started for the door. Jason followed close behind. She glanced over her shoulder to glimpse at the man. He was walking with a strong and long stride, his back was erect and his head held high. His arms swayed gently at his sides, and his hands were balled up.

This was also the first time she was seeing the man not in some sort of uniform. His white t-shirt was tucked into blue denim jeans, with a black leather belt around the waist. The tightness of his shirt accentuated his firm chest and powerful arms. The jeans were loose enough, but she could still see some curvature in the upper legs.

Jason caught her glance and raised an eyebrow at her. "Need something?" She pulled her gaze away, aware of the slight distraction.

"I was just wondering. You work out, obviously. A gym?"

"I need to keep in shape, yeah." It was a curious thing, he and Trina both were athletic and tough. They'd almost make a great pair, but there was hardly any time to concern herself with that. "I'm a martial artist, you think I wouldn't work out?"

"No, I just-I have to admit it's a surprise seeing you out of that uniform." The uniform had been large enough that it concealed some of his size. She would almost be attracted to him if she wasn't already with Beck. Then, she was attracted to him-there was no question that he was an attractive man-she hoped Beck wasn't beside himself with worry and that he trusted her.

_"Now I understand how Beck feels when I worry about him being around other women."_ She struck the doorbell and turned towards Jason. "So how will you train Trina? You said she might have to be trained more than the others?"

"She will. The other counselors are all black-belts, she's not there yet." He crossed his arms and focused on the door. "Like them, she will have to wake up _early_ in the morning, and she will have to spend most of her day practicing formations, moves, sparring, and so on."

"I don't think she's very good at letting other people tell her what to do." Jason's eyes darted onto her and his eyebrows slid inwards. "Fair warning." He smirked and shrugged.

The door slid open and Jade turned to see Trina in the doorway. The girl had her hair up in a ponytail and was wearing a similar wardrobe as Jason, only with a purple tank and darker blue jeans. Her eyes fell onto him and her lips slid open a centimeter.

"Jason, Jade, we thought you were coming a little later." She ran her hand over the front of her neck, wiping away the shimmering sweat that laced her collarbone. Stray strands of hair remained attached to her damp skin, hugging tightly so as not to be pulled away. "Come in."

Jason's eyes pulled on Trina's. He uncrossed his arms and raised his eyebrows at the girl. "You've been practicing since we last talked?" Jade looked from him to Trina. The girl stared at the man for some time before frowning and furrowing her brow.

"Of course. I want to equal you, maybe even do better." She pulled her ponytail from her neck and closed her eyes. The right corner of Jason's mouth pulled upwards.

"That would take some time."

Trina's eyes shot open and her nostrils spread open briefly. "You can work me as hard as you like." She held his gaze and matched his smirk with a confident smirk of her own. "I'm eager to learn."

"Good." Jade's heartbeat quickened as she studied the two. There seemed to be a blaze that connected their stares, and an unseen force that held them in place. Jade wanted to remind them to go inside, but she was near terrified to say anything for fear of interrupting whatever was happening here.

She watched Trina's eyes drop, sliding along Jason's body. The girl's features around her eyes and her lips relaxed, and her hand slid down the door frame. Jason cleared his throat and Trina's eyes darted back to his.

"Right." She turned around and waved them inside. "Let's go, I think it's time to talk to the man."

Jade let them go inside first, then followed them. She looked into the living room and saw Tori seated on the couch with her phone in her hand. The television was on, but paused. She could see a martial arts trainer on the screen, indicating that this was some training video.

Holly was standing in the kitchen, watching her daughters like a hawk. Her muscles were tense, but her lips were slanted into a broad smile.

Jade scanned the area further, then saw him: David was making his way down the stairs. He stopped at the bottom step, then gripped the round post tightly with his hand. The man's eyes fell onto Jason, and in an instant, David began to tense.

"Who is this?" He stepped off the final step and started to approach the center of the room. His eyes never left Jason, they seemed to be analyzing the man's every feature. Tori looked over her shoulder while Holly's mouth fell into a smirk.

"His name is Jason Tyler," Trina answered with a flair for nonchalance. She made her way to the couch, but remained standing in front of it. Now, all that was between her and this monster of a man was the sofa. "He, well I don't want to say he's my 'boss', but he's in charge at the camp I'm going to."

Jade could see Jason watching her, studying her. She followed his gaze to Trina, wondering what it was he was seeing, since he appeared concerned. Trina was greatly tense standing before David, seemingly different now. No more was her body relaxed nor was she standing confidently.

She could spot a very slight tremor, and even heard a weakened tone in her voice. _"She's scared of him. She tries to be strong, but she's terrified…"_

Jason took a step forward and brushed the bridge of his nose with his finger. "I thought it might be a good idea for me to explain a few things." Trina twisted partially, looking to him with slightly larger eyes. David closed his hands and locked his jaw. "She's going to be one of the camp counselors, which means she needs some training. She's to leave in a week for this training."

"She has to? Is this necessary?"

"I'm afraid so." Jason walked up beside Trina and crossed his arms. Jade felt a lump growing in her throat, so she swallowed it down before it choked her. Trina's tense muscles seemed to subside, though only partially. "If she doesn't leave early enough to train, she won't be ready. This is a very rigorous experience, Mr. Vega."

"I know this is required by the school-I just didn't know she had to leave so soon."

"We chose her out of the other students in her class to represent her class by becoming the camp counselor in charge of that section." Trina gasped softly and turned her head to the man. "We chose from the best, of course. That decision has been finalized as well, I'm afraid."

"So." David sulked and turned his eyes onto Trina. Trina flinched and swayed her upper body slightly towards Jason. She turned partially, pointing her feet and body at the stronger man. "Trina will have to leave earlier than intended. Does this benefit her education?"

"It will help her tremendously towards college, scholarships, and even potential networking for jobs in the future."

Trina brought her hand up and set it on Jason's shoulder. Her body relaxed a bit further and her eyes slid into David's. "I imagine he's not going to be letting me get much sleep during that training, Dad, but it'll be worth it." David turned up a vague smile and looked over to Holly.

"Has this already been decided, Holly?" Holly nodded once and leaned over the kitchen counter, sliding her palms outwards. Jade was impressed and pleased with this turn of events. Perhaps it was due to Jason's seemingly commanding presence he had that David did not become hostile, she couldn't be sure, but this man clearly knew better than to try and do anything with Jason here.

"Then there isn't much point in arguing the matter." David sucked in a heavy breath and shook his head. "I wasn't expecting it." He started to step forward, but stopped as Jason tensed up himself. Jade's eyebrows rose and she watched the men closely. Jason's eyes slanted and David was frozen.

The air held a sudden chill that seemed to permeate the skin and reach into the bone. Jade brought her hand up to her lips, wondering for the moment what was about to happen. Did David wish to challenge this decision, and if he did, what would Jason do?

"In fact," Jason began slowly and with a firm, but commanding tone in his voice. "I would like to train her some before we leave. I feel there are some tips that I can teach her now." David furrowed his brow and his mouth fell open.

"I-I don't know. What does this entail?"

"Just some intense training on her focus. She needs to be able to concentrate, and I'd like to devote some of my time to a few crucial areas now while my time is not too greatly divided."

David sucked in a heavy breath and growled slightly. "Is there much choice in the matter?"

"I'm afraid not. I need to focus my attention on these crucial areas that she needs training in. It is for her benefit. You understand, certainly?"

"Let her speak for herself." David glanced to Trina and straightened himself. He crossed his arms and motioned his head to Jason. "Is this what you want, Trina?" Trina's hand slid down from Jason's shoulder, her fingertips glided along his upper arm and glinted off his elbow.

"Yes." Jason turned his head to Trina. Jade brightened and smiled with hope as Trina nodded firmly. "I need this training and this education. It's important." There was more David wanted to say. Jade could see it in his eyes. The man was holding back, whether by fear or because he knew it was an improper time to show the demon that lay within him.

Jason somehow understood the situation without knowing how bad David was, and that gave him the edge. Whatever it was, he managed to steal control and leave David grasping for straws.

"No one else from her class fits?" David glanced back to Jason and furrowed his brow. "It has to be her?" Jason smiled briskly and nodded once.

"That is correct, sir. She was chosen because she displays the most promise and the most ability. I am neither in a position to change that, nor will I. There is little time to, anyhow."

"I'll agree to it then," David sighed and ran his hand along his neck. "I don't like it, but if it's absolutely necessary, and helps education." The man looked to the door and raised his shoulders. "I was called down to the station for something, so I should be going."

The man left fairly quickly, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Jade put her hand up to her chest and shook her head slowly. "There's definitely something off about that man," Jason remarked. She held back her opinion on the matter and looked to Trina, hoping the girl was okay. Jason turned his head and nudged Trina's arm with his elbow. "You okay?"

Trina was standing still, seemingly lost as she stared at the door. Her mouth was open in surprise and her eyebrows had dipped inwards. She pulled her head back some and cleared her throat. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She ran her hand over her forehead and dropped it down while looking towards the ceiling. "Thanks for that."

"No problem." Jason crossed his arms and rolled his head to the side. "He'll be back. I can tell, someone like that…he's not done yet."

"You don't have to leave yet, do you?"

"Well, I do have some work to finish."

Trina dropped her shoulders and set her hand on his forearm. The gesture drew his eyes to her. "Don't go." The words came out with a single, quick breath, as though these words would never come out if she didn't force them. "I wouldn't mind starting now on whatever lessons you have."

He turned to her and shrugged. "Good idea. You need to be prepared anyway. After all, when you get to the campsite, you'll have to wake up with all the other counselors at five in the morning." Trina's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"So early?"

"Yes. Regular campers will wake up around seven, so things need to be set up before then." He leaned to the right and smirked as Trina bowed her head. "That won't be a problem, I hope?" She grumbled for a minute, and Jade swore the girl was glaring at her through the bangs that concealed her gaze.

"No."

"Good. You should thank your friend for getting you this position."

Jade chuckled nervously and scratched her upper arm as Trina jerked her head upright. "I'm seriously questioning the 'friend' part," Trina growled, "Backyard. We'll work in the backyard. I don't think mom wants us to spar in the house."

"Oh I wouldn't mind," Holly replied. "It isn't like I value anything in this man's house." Trina raised an eyebrow and Jade stifled a laugh.

"We'll get to the sparring eventually." Trina frowned at Jason and started for the door while asking why they didn't start off now. "I do want to see where you're at right now. So a few exercises first."

Trina stopped before the glass door and set her hand on top of the handle. She twisted partially and looked at Jason as he approached the door. "You don't want to spar because of the other day? Do you still think I'm not ready, or something like that?"

She dropped her hand from the handle and furrowed her brow. "You've got a few things to learn." He stepped beside her and pulled the door open, then motioned his hand to the yard, gesturing for her to go on ahead. "You'll do fine though, you just need practice and focus."

Once they left, Holly collapsed on the couch beside Tori and looked up to Jade. "I don't want my daughters here when David comes back," she said, "That boy's right. David just wants to wait until Jason's gone, but he has already said it's okay for Trina to leave."

Tori peered over her shoulder, the skin around her nose crinkled and her fingertips dug into her pants as she pushed her hands forward. "She'll be okay, won't she? Safe. If she goes to that camp."

"She'll be fine. She's worried about you, I think a little more than you realize. Both of you have to go off, it's for the best."

"What about you, mom?" Holly bent her arm up on the armrest and buried her hand into her hair. Her eyes fell onto Tori and her lips pulled up into a faint smile as her daughter studied her carefully. "Trina and I might be leaving, but you're not. You'll be okay?"

"I'll be just fine, sweetheart. I'd rather the two of you be somewhere safe."

Sensing the urgency of the situation, Jade tried to think of some way she could intervene. If David came home later, when Jason wasn't here, what were the chances that he might hurt the girls?

For them, the wait until they went on their trips would be painstakingly long. "You know. You and Trina could come to my place tonight." The words all but fell from her lips. She never thought to invite people to her home, especially not someone that wasn't deemed a close enough friend, but Tori and her sister needed this.

She held her breath as Tori's suspicious gaze fell on her. "Jade?" Tori stood slowly and took a step forward. "I can't help but think; I know I told you to stay out of all this. That you don't understand what's going on, that you don't get it, but…" She braced herself while trying to read the girl in front of her.

Tori seemed to be incredibly still. Her eyelids had fallen halfway and her lips had tightened and were stretched thinly across her face. "You had a hand in doing this, though. Getting Trina somewhere she would be safe, getting her away from-from that man. I don't even know why you're doing all this, or why you care so much."

She didn't know herself. The thought that she might fail still terrified her, and of course she didn't feel safe here without someone like Jason or Beck to keep David at bay. On one hand, she was just doing her job, but on the other hand she had to question if she really cared about helping this family.

"I want to do the right thing," she stammered. "I'm working with a private investigator your real dad hired." Tori's eyebrows rose and she shot a look at Holly. The mother closed her eyes and nodded, a sign to the girl that she already knew. "Your dad, the investigator, and even I…we want to do everything we can to get you out. Still, you and Trina were in danger and I wanted to get you to safety…the more we investigate, the more dangerous the situation becomes, and the two of you at least need to be somewhere safe."

"I…see." Tori chuckled dryly and swept her hand through her hair. "Um. What's there to do at your home?"

"Play poker? I have books too."

"Okay. I'll talk to Trina." Tori turned away and started for the door, then stopped halfway. She turned to look over her shoulder and gave Jade a slight, appreciative smile. "Thank you. For getting involved, I guess…you'll all keep mom safe while Trina and I are gone?" Her stomach tightened due to her fears of failure. It was hard to be confident when this was only her first attempt at investigation and criminal proceedings.

Then, what if she couldn't do it? What if Holly was killed because of this? Every move she made, every step she took, one misstep could lead to tragedy and a family destroyed.

This was why police couldn't make promises, because certainty was difficult to come by.

She looked away from Tori momentarily and bit the inner skin of her lip with the tips of her front teeth. "We'll do the best we can." Her collar grew hot to the touch as Tori's studious, unfaltering gaze remained locked on her.

"And if the best isn't enough?"

Her heart dropped into the bile filled pits of her stomach, and her throat collapsed onto her lungs as the shadow of her fear surrounded her. _"Then I'll never be an investigator."_ Sikowitz told her once that she shouldn't expect to be able to save everybody, there would be some investigations in her career that turned up fruitless.

_"This time can't be one of those. It can't."_ Her fingers trembled and her eyes moved into Tori's. Jade's lips parted as she peered beyond the girl and through the glass doors.

Outside, Trina was performing bicycle crunches, sweeping her legs slowly in the air while turning her torso towards the inside knee. Jason stood beside her, watching closely and speaking-likely directing her on her form, as she was shifting her leg positions every so often.

This was the start of something for these girls, and maybe the first time they really felt like a good change could happen, and she was the cause of it.

Now, all that Tori wanted to know was that her mother was going to be safe too.

Trina was the same way, her eagerness to protect her mother was what earned her a very stern reply from Holly when she insisted that Trina take this trip.

"If…" She cleared the stutter in her throat and closed her eyes. "If my best isn't enough, then you will never forgive me." Tori's lips pressed together and tiny lines stretched out from them.'

"No. I wouldn't."

"But I can only promise my best."

"I can't even remember my real dad, though I know who he is and have seen him-I can't remember anything about him." Tori closed her hands and narrowed her tearful eyes. "Trina remembers a little bit, and it's apparently a much happier life-one that I've never known. We've been stuck here for a decade or so. Don't think I'm searching for any sort of promise, any sort of hope, or any specific answer…because there is absolutely nothing that you can do or say that will be enough."

"I know.

Tori inhaled slowly, then made her way outside. The tension in the air remained, if only to suffocate Jade as she thought on the girl's final words. When she looked to Holly, the woman shook her head and rose to her feet.

"Just do what you have to do," Holly said bluntly. "My girls will be safe, and they come first. I trust Sikowitz knows that. I still think hiring a teenager was reckless, but I guess I see the genius behind the decision…David would know he's an investigator."

"Yeah. At least this way, it isn't the police that David can control."

"If only David were the one in control." Jade raised an eyebrow and watched Holly move to the kitchen. "Lanie and Rebecca. Focus on them. David's their fucking pet."

"Do you have any inclination of _why _they would do this?"

"Not really." She spread her hands out and sighed in frustration. "To give the bastard a family because he couldn't find one himself? That's the thing I've thought for the past ten years. Hell, Lanie was married and she wanted Robbie to be considered Tom's husband, and Rebecca's also married. Gary? Yeah, we had a perfect marriage, two beautiful baby girls-and David wouldn't stop those stupid feelings he had, add that to the jealousy he had of my husband, and Lanie's apparent hatred of me…and here we are…tell Sikowitz to fix it, because I don't know how much longer I can take it."

"I will. We're going to figure it out, Mrs. Ve-" She stopped herself and winced as Holly's glare scorched her. "Richardson."

"That's better."

* * *

><p>The girls are likely to be safe now, and Jason did a good job. I figure he'd speak up when it would appear that Trina's not going to be able to really say accurately the right things. What you see here in her when is perhaps some confidence when he does take charge, normally she prefers to be in control but she's giving him the control when dealing with David. Jade did well in this, and I wanted to show some of the inner doubts that she would be having, the fear of failing-for her first real investigation, it's a very difficult one, and it's true that if she's not careful tragedy will occur. What are your thoughts throughout this chapter? Any observations? It should be understood, I think, or I was hoping to get across that Tori-nor Holly and Trina really feel confident in Jade and even Sikowitz, and this is because of what they've been dealing with for so long. They do not know what to make of this change that appears to be happening ni their lives.<p>

That said, I will be doing two different oneshots that will be attached to this story. They will be respective in Trina's light and Tori's, but oneshots because they don't fit in the scenes of this story. (I cannot simply switch from this story and go to Tori and Trina elsewhere)


	16. A Crumbling World

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: So here's an important chapter, and perhaps something that I'm pretty sure everyone should see. We need to know how Beck is handling things, so here you go. And to all my Bade fans, enjoy even more.

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><p>Chapter 16 (A Crumbling World)<p>

Meeting up with Beck felt surprisingly odd after a few days of not seeing him. She had been so busy working with Sikowitz, and watching over the family she'd been investigating, that she hardly had any time to herself.

Of course, she'd also been taking some time to watch Trina and Jason training together, as well as finding some enjoyment in seeing Ian and Tori spending time together before they were getting ready to leave. These moments were something to make her feel a sense of pride over, because she was the one responsible for making it happen.

"What's up?" Beck asked as he opened his door. At first glance, Jade was shocked to see him. He had patches of stubble on his chin and jawline, two circles beneath his eyes, and his normally neat and clean hair was a mess-as if he'd just woken up. "Sorry I don't look my best, I haven't been getting much sleep lately."

"I see. Well, I wanted to talk to you. If you need to get some sleep, I understand."

"It's fine." He guided her inside and shut the door. She turned around and watched him yawn. The yawn was loud enough that the RV itself seemed to shake. "It's great that Tori and Trina will be able to get out of that hellhole. I was thinking about that. You've been doing a good thing, lately."

"Yeah, and I've been busy. I'm sorry about that." She walked to the couch and looked up to him. He ran his hand over his neck and smiled vaguely. "You must be so stressed out. I feel bad for involving you."

"I was involved the moment I made you be friends with them, but I don't regret that one bit." A chuckle fell from his lips and he shook his head. "Even if it eventually led to finding out my own mother is a psychotic monster, and my own cousin-that I thought he was-is a few cards short of a full deck."

Jade smirked playfully and shrugged. "Well if it's any consolation, we already knew Robbie was nuts." Beck dusted off the bottom of his sloppy shirt and started to laugh. "Given his mother, now we know why."

"I'd say it's more a trait inherited from the birth dad, but who knows, Ms. Shapiro seems psychotic too." He crossed his arms and let his shoulders slide down. "But you know more than I do."

"Haven't you spent any time with Andre? I mean, he's like a brother to you." Certainly Andre would be able to provide some comfort to Beck through all of this, but maybe it wasn't so much comfort from a brother or best friend that he needed.

She'd never seen him so out of it before. He always was so well structured and well-kept. Never was a hair out of place, and everything _had _to be in proper order. If something was out of place, he had to fix it.

Then maybe that was the problem. Beck was broken. He couldn't fix this problem, no matter what, his image of perfection had been shattered the moment he realized his mother was a monster and his cousin may as well be one too.

What was the point of keeping things up to a higher standard if the order of the universe was destroyed?

"Beck…" She extended her hand and met his gaze. His eyes were frantic and full of a lingering fear. "Come. Sit with me." She knew chaos, and this was it. "I'm here, okay?"

He took her hand and sat beside her. She could feel the tremor in his fingertips and the rush of the blood in the veins on the surface of his hand, just beneath her thumb.

"I saw that guy. The one who is helping Trina." Jade raised her eyebrows as he turned to look at her. "He's a bloody ox, like Andre is. Strong, masculine, and a very attractive man." She rolled her head to the right and tried to study him, but he was in such a state of disorder that she couldn't read him. Or if there was any jealousy in his subtle words, she couldn't detect them. "You've um, you've been watching over them too."

"Yeah, I have to make sure that David doesn't try anything. Same for Lanie or…you know."

"Yeah, mom." He scratched the side of his head and slammed his hand down on his knee. "So she is definitely involved in all this." He raised his hand up to his brow and scratched the crisp skin above his right eyebrow. "God."

"Beck, I don't think your mom is as involved as we think. I don't know yet, I haven't had a chance to talk to her." She squeezed his hand and leaned into him. "There's a chance she regrets her involvement."

"Regrets it? It's been at least a decade. Whether or not she regrets it, she's still involved-is she not?" Beck pulled his hand away and exhaled sharply. "You know, I had a thought. What are the chances? What if I'm related to that guy? How would I know?"

"I wouldn't worry about that, Beck." She thought back to his prior comment regarding Jason. Though she didn't detect jealousy in his tone, she had to wonder why he brought the man up. "Also, I did want to talk about something else. I wanted to apologize to you."

"For what?"

"Everything." She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. The tremble in his body started to subside. She nuzzled his neck and gently squeezed his hand. "I um, I know that I've been crazy sometimes. Obsessing over every girl that comes around you, thinking I can't trust you to be faithful, and I know that hurts you. I never thought about it, but I know it hurts to think that the person you're with can't trust you."

"It can be irritating. What brought this on?"

"That you're right." She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. His gaze softened momentarily and his eyebrows moved inwards. "Jason is an attractive man, I won't deny that, but I have no interest in him since I'm with you. But, I was thinking about it and I thought…what would you think if you saw how often I had to talk to the guy-because I had to talk to him in order to get him to understand why he needed to help Trina."

"Yeah. You've been watching those two also."

"You mentioned that." She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. "And it's been strictly business. I can't tell you everything about the investigation, but I don't trust David-or Lanie. Even your mother, I can't trust wouldn't try something. But that's beside the point."

She looked down to his hand and slowly ran her fingers along his wrist and forearm. "The point is, I love you. I do trust you, and I know that you trust me. I wouldn't cheat on you, and I'd be worried if you thought every guy I thought was attractive or every man I met was someone I'd be jumping in bed with. I don't know what you must think of me, accusing that of you and questioning your motives all the time."

A smile gradually appeared on his face. "I deal with it. I wouldn't cheat on you. You can stress me out from time to time, and there are times when you annoy the shit out of me." Jade laughed once and felt her heart skip for a note. It was good for him to admit it, because she could say the same of him from time to time, but she still loved him. "And no matter what, Jade, I always love you, and I trust you."

"I'm glad."

"You may be the one thing in all this chaos that isn't chaotic right now." He stopped himself and she raised an eyebrow. "My god that's ironic as hell." Beck looked off to the right and a hum vibrated off his lips. "Did you think I was really worried that you had been talking to some attractive dude?"

"A little."

"Funny." He ran his hand over his neck and closed his eyes for a moment. "Of all the things that I've been stressing out over lately, that's the last thing that would be on my mind. I appreciate you thinking about me, though. I guess."

Though his words were gentle and kind, they still struck a painful blow to her heart and bled her own feelings of guilt from her. Knowing that he trusted her so much was hard to accept.

"For every time I've blown up over a girl so much as looking in your direction, you could at least get upset over a guy being in my line of sight." She narrowed her eyes and Beck started to laugh. "Why is that funny?"

"Oh it isn't, and believe me, if I thought there was a potential threat-I'd worry." Her head tilted to the right and she pulled the corner of her lips into her cheek. Beck set his hand on her waist and leaned over, kissing her forehead. "The fact is: I know you're not going to cheat on me. No matter how hot some guy is, you've got me and you know it. Until you give me a reason to question you, I have no reason to."

Joy swept over her and she let a single chuckle escape from her. "Damn." It was hardly fair, and she wasn't sure how she managed to be lucky enough to land a guy that was this secure in his relationship. "You're not even the slightest bit afraid?"

"I'm still a guy. Do I worry that there are better looking people out there? Yes. There are tons of men that are better than I am, whether it's physical attraction or even what's on the inside."

His hand rose to her face and cupped her cheek. He pulled his lips back into a line and any tension in his facial features melted away.

"Are there times when I feel like I'm not enough for you? Sure." Her lips parted and her eyebrows flew up for a moment. "But these things are normal for everyone in a relationship, I think. The truth of the matter is that I know you're not looking for anybody else, and I don't think I'm going to lose you to someone else, at least not today. God knows what the future holds."

"I hope we're still together in the future…"

"Same here, but for today we are together. Today, I'm sure about you and I feel secure. Right now…" He looked over his shoulder at the disarray that his RV was now in. Jade swallowed heavily and closed her eyes. Beck blew out a long, slow exhale and shook his head.

"Right now it's the only thing that I'm sure of. Please allow me that. As long as you tell me I have nothing to fear, I trust you, and I feel right now that's all I've got with all the shit that's falling around us."

It was true that everyone needed to find solid ground where they could stand and feel safe, to feel secure. She thought maybe it would just be her, or maybe it would be Tori and Trina-who could hopefully find their rock in Ian and possibly Jason.

Now she could see that even Beck, with his standard and perfect image shattering all about him, needed a rock to hold onto before the tide could sweep him away.

She was that rock, that solid ground that he needed, and she was more than happy to support him and keep him stable.

"I've never seen you so shaken before, Beck." She held her breath and his eyes darted back to her.

When everything was going wrong, and nothing was right, even the calmest and most rational minded person could teeter the line of insanity. "You know I'm not one to say it, but Jade, I've got no idea what to do."

_Lost._

She wrapped her arms around his waist and brought her head to his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. She could almost feel it slamming against his chest and striking against her head, as if to push her away.

Her hold on him tightened until she could feel his arm around her back. "I'm here for you." She kissed his chest and shut her eyes. His body relaxed fully, with all tension in his muscles fading entirely.

The world could vanish entirely in that moment, for all she cared. The warmth around them was enough energy to sustain them, to comfort them against the fires that appeared to be brought from hell itself. And all of their concerns could wait just a little bit longer.

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><p>Do you think they'll be okay? They'll make it, and I'm sure Beck will be fine. He seems like a guy who needs structure and order in his life, so I wondered what could he be going through right now, and this is it. His entire life is in disarray, and he cannot fix the problem this time. So for once, he needs a rock to hold onto, and Jade is that rock. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it is important for characterization purposes of course. What are your thoughts?<p> 


	17. The Glass House

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

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><p>Chapter 17 (This Glass House)<p>

Inside Beck's house, Jade wasn't certain just what she would find. Since dating him, she'd only been in his house a couple times, and for brief moments. There was never a point in going inside when he lived in the RV.

What she saw, and what she expected to find were two entirely different things. Given what she heard of the weaker half of what she now called 'Holly's Bitches', she expected a darker home.

Instead, the walls were adorned with floral patterned, crème wallpaper. The carpet was soft vanilla, and there was a lavender aroma in the air. Most likely from some air freshener, such as _Air-Wick. _The numerous double-paned windows allowed the sunlight to enter the house and brighten the entire place.

Even the kitchen table, which sat in a small alcove surrounded by these large windows, was clean and made of glass. Giving the appearance of a heavenly place to eat. "God this is weird," she muttered under her breath, "It's brighter than the Vega house."

Standing at the table was a tall woman in a green shirt with blue vertical stripes and a V-shaped collar. The nauseating shirt was made worse in Jade's mind by the khaki pants the woman wore. "Hello there." the lady's ruby lips slid up on her pale skin. Her jade-colored gaze was shielded by her long dark bangs. Her hair swept over and behind her ears, and brushed against her jawline. "I don't believe I've had the chance to really talk to you yet."

"I've been dating your son for two years now, Mrs. Oliver. I figure it's time to sit down and talk."

"Yes."

"It's a beautiful home you have here." She held back her sneer and walked towards the table. Jade pulled back the chair and took a seat, sighing heavily. "I'm surprised actually. I was expecting something a little different." This woman's success in her career field likely garnered such a lavish lifestyle, but Jade could ensure this would all come crumbling down with just the right methods.

She looked towards the counter nearby and raised an eyebrow at the marble top. Even the kitchen sink seemed to be made of porcelain, if that was even possible. "So, what did you want to discuss?" Rebecca sat across from her and bent her elbows up to fold her hands in front of her face.

"Well. From what I know, dating your son, you don't like me." She sat upright, pressing her back firmly into the back of the chair. Her hands spread apart on the glossy surface of the table and she peered down, wondering how the light on the crystal top didn't blind her.

"It's not so much that you're dating my son that I don't like you." Jade's lips parted and her head jerked upright as Rebecca's shoulders bounced in place. "Your influence over him is undeniable, and there's just something about you that I don't care much for."

Mirrors adorned the walls, and inside this house of glass, Jade struggled to analyze a meaning to it. Vanity seemed a big possibility, transparency was another. "And what's that?" Jade's eyes flew to Rebecca's and she watched as the woman's lips slide into a quick smile.

"A memory. A part of you that takes me back to a time I don't like."

"At least you're honest."

Rebecca's thin eyebrows pulled together and a tiny wrinkle rose from the top of the bridge of her nose. "Honesty's the best policy, my dear." The sweetness in her voice attempted to conceal the scorn that Jade was certain she could sense. There was something about this woman that resonated with her-a kinship perhaps? "You would assume that I am not honest?"

"I assume a lot of things…" She furrowed her brow and pressed her lips together. "But I know a lot of things as well." If this woman wanted to be vague and evasive, she could do the same. The idea was to control the conversation.

"Are we here to discuss you or myself?"

"I'd like to get to know you some more." If vanity was at the root of this woman's personality, then she would relish in talking about herself. Jade tapped her fingertips together in front of her face and leaned forward, sliding the corner of her lip into a tiny smirk of her own. "After all, I want to know more about my boyfriend's mother. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, I suppose." Rebecca leaned back slowly and exhaled slowly. "What is it you wish to know." The woman's green, acrylic fingernails tapped the surface of the table and her smile faded from her lips. "I get the feeling this isn't going to be simple." Rebecca's gaze rose slowly from her hand and mixed with Jade's.

"I ask hard questions. It's something of a trait that Beck says he enjoys about me."

"How nice. I'm glad my son is happy, at least, although I could think of much better people that he could be with."

"Ah yes, you'd probably relish the idea of choosing someone else's partner. What's stopping you from controlling our relationship? Since you don't care for me, I wonder why you've not done anything."

Rebecca laughed, her nasal tone pierced Jade's eardrums and caused her to flinch. "Should I? I've complained, but my son is fairly outspoken and doesn't seem to want anyone else. He could do better." Jade cringed inwardly and fought to keep her outer appearance strong.

This woman had ice in her veins. Jade was almost certain her personality was mirrored to the point that she could very well be speaking to herself. Rebecca was clever, cruel, cold and calculating, and Jade needed to be extremely careful while remembering that this woman was the weak link in the trifecta that she was investigating. At the same time, she couldn't tip Rebecca off to the fact that she was being investigated.

As Sikowitz told her, they needed to get Rebecca and Lanie first. If they went after David now, as he was, they could very likely bring him in. They wouldn't be able to do that with the women, they needed evidence against them-because no matter what David could potentially claim, the women could claim so much more and get off scot free.

In Rebecca's eyes, she caught a glimpse of a strange and perplexing emotion, and a mixture of pain. _"She's playing tough, but like this house, she's fragile. I just need to get past that point. I need to shatter her before she shatters me."_

"Do you disagree, Jade?"

"On what? That Beck could do better? No, I don't disagree, but I think what matters is he believes that there isn't anyone better."

"So you deceive him in thinking that you are best suited for him?"

"No, but here's a thought." Jade cleared her throat and swallowed the rising bile. Her blood was boiling, and anger shrouded her like a dark monster, but she had to hold back no matter how difficult it was. "Let's discuss you. Certainly _I_ would never cheat on my man."

Rebecca's eyes grew and her lips parted way for a hesitant breath. "What? What are you accusing me of?" The woman reached up to her chest and scoffed angrily. "I have never-"

"Beck told me he overheard Mr. Oliver's accusation of you having an affair."

Rebecca frowned and narrowed her eyes momentarily. "I should have known he'd tell you. After I asked him not to when he came shouting at me. Yes, I have an affair that's been going on, I'll admit to that."

"Then maybe." Jade slanted her eyes and leaned forward some more while planting her palms together and pointing her fingertips at Rebecca. "You should rethink accusing _me_ of my own values and morals." Rebecca scoffed and Jade slid back into an upright position. "Now. You know who my father is."

"Yes, I knew Mr. West."

"Of course, he's talked about you."

"Anything good?" Rebecca's eyes drifted to the right and her voice fell silent. "I shouldn't hope as much. I do wonder what he thinks of his daughter dating my son."

"He doesn't care. He'd probably care more if it were Robbie." Rebecca raised an eyebrow and chuckled once.

"Ah yes, I see. Henry is chock full of horror stories, isn't he? Most of them are probably true." The woman's shoulders slouched and her eyes dropped to the right, a moment of triumph for Jade, but a bliss all too soon. "I shouldn't be surprised that Denise and Holly wanted to cut us off, Lanie and I were hard girls to get along with in high school and college."

"Popular queen bee types?"

"You could say that." Rebecca's gaze shot back at her and her muscles started to tense. "Holly was one of us, once, though Lanie was the one in charge. You know those films you see-I liken our relationship to that."

"Something like _Mean Girls_, or something?"

"Sure. Lanie was leader. Holly, Denise and I were her 'posse'. If you want to call it that." It was strange that now Rebecca didn't seem to mind talking about her past, but then, it could be she didn't find any danger in it. Still, it was safe to assume she'd close up at any given moment.

Jade never thought Holly was a part of any clique, but she wasn't surprised. However, knowing that Lanie was once someone that could be compared to a classic cinema bitch-usually the head cheerleader types-was something that could explain in great detail the problems the woman had.

Narcissism was among the potential personality disorders that crossed Jade's mind. "You said Holly and Denise cut ties from you? Why?" She spoke with a true curious tone, so as to imply nothing more than innocent curiosity.

Rebecca's face softened and she shrugged. It was a sign that she didn't suspect anything more than innocence. "Holly wanted nothing more to do with that life. She met a guy, he gave her everything, and she told Lanie what a stuck up bitch she was." Rebecca laughed at an old memory, and an inkling of fondness shone in her eyes. "It was amusing to see the look on Lanie's face, I'll never forget the moment Holly told her what a horrible person she was…and Denise backed her. Denise severed ties completely in college, even went so far as to try and right some of the wrongs we did in high school-and early college."

"You guys actually did shit?"

"Mostly Lanie." Rebecca perched her head on her right palm and closed her eyes. Her left fingers tapped the table and she let out a quick breath of air. "Like our first year in college, Lanie slept with the dean so she could get out of having to take a class she didn't want. Seduced him, just like she seduced our high school principal. Around then, I think Holly and Denise were getting tired of her schemes."

Jade was in shock, Lanie had clearly done horrible deeds and didn't care who she stepped on to get to the top. The way Rebecca spoke so casually seemed to imply that Lanie had done a tremendous amount of terrible things, and that both Holly and Denise spoke out against her.

Then both suffered the price.

"It sounds like Lanie's gone insane. I mean how do you stay friends with a person like that?"

Rebecca's nose crinkled and she scoffed loudly. "You just do?" Jade started to hum, curious about what this woman was implying. There was a new, fearful tone in her voice, but she couldn't understand why. "I can't imagine good things happen to people who cross someone like her."

"Wow. She sounds like a menace. You must regret something, I mean for you to tell me this…"

"I regret a lot of things, Jade dear. Are you looking for something specific?"

"What's Lanie's deal? Why was she so…that way you described her? Ever ask? I'm just curious."

"No, I never asked." Rebecca looked to one of the windows next to her and slid her hand down to her chin, curling her fingers beneath it. "She was a spoiled rich girl growing up. Got everything she ever wanted, had her daddy's love-a daddy's girl."

Rebecca dropped her hand and squinted her eyes. "She had a ton of mental shit in high school, expected everyone to kneel and kiss her feet, and if they didn't, she would always want to do something to them to punish them. She _actually thought_ she was the queen of the school."

Jade could feel a darkness gripping at her.

_Fear_

"She was worse in college, to be honest. Oh but she was sweet on David." Rebecca snapped her fingers and chuckled. "Always treated him like her pet. I don't know, she and I pitied that guy-he was a loser, after all."

"Beck says you had an affair with _him_."

"I won't deny it." Rebecca crossed her arms and shrugged. "I'm not proud of it, but whatever. Regardless, you're asking why Lanie was a bitch in high school and college, and I couldn't tell you. She had no specific reason for doing her shit, she just did it. We all went along with it because we didn't want to piss her off-Holly and Denise got tired of it."

_"And look what happened to them…Sikowitz is going to want to hear this."_ She reached towards her pocket and covered the bulge that was created by the recorder she had hidden away. _"But it's frightening, and Rebecca may be afraid of this woman. Is that why she's the weaker one? She's afraid of Lanie?"_

At this point it would be hard not to fear Lanie. Anyone that went against her was taken down, but she was more dangerous than somebody who had reasons for committing the crimes. She was on par with someone that didn't have a reason, or at least, no reason that made sense for anyone other than her own psychotic web.

Then it was time to take Lanie out. If their investigation had a flicker of a hope in getting Rebecca to cooperate, they'd need to ensure Lanie had no control. In order to do that, she needed to shake the pillars of power and dominance.

Of course, Jade knew just the senator that could potentially help with that.

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><p>So your thoughts? I will say there is definitely meaning behind the fragile appearance of the home and the fragile appearance of Rebecca. Though there may be more even still-she revealed quite a bit it seems but still Jade has not gone in front of the dragon just yet. I can safely say no one knows for sure the psychological mentality of Lanie at this point, but we shall soon find out. Do tell me your thoughts and observations of this chapter.<p> 


	18. Ice Queen: The Puppetmaster

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

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><p>Chapter 18 (Ice Queen)<p>

Robbie's mother was yet another surprise for Jade; the woman looked like a goddess. She was fairly tall and had gold flaxen hair that flowed slightly past her jawline in thickened spirals.

Her eyes were a crystal blue, and her ruby red lips had a peculiar shine that Jade pondered was due to the venom she so often spout throughout her life. She wore a white dress with some type of animal fur that swept around her shoulders and upper back. The dress itself fell to the woman's ankles, and had the same fur trim at the bottom. Its tips partially concealed the glass heels on her feet.

Atop the stairs of her home she stood, her left hand gripped the iron rail of the white spiral staircase, and her right hand held a long cigarette in between her forefingers. The woman's cheeks were shallow, and her waistline was incredibly thin, to the point Jade had to wonder whether the woman had an illness or something else that was making her so thin.

_"Does she eat? I know Robbie said once his mother was vegan, but even vegans don't get that skinny."_ She furrowed her brow and looked towards Robbie. He was the one who answered the door for her, and he was still looking at her as though she were from a distant planet.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

She ignored his question and looked around at her surroundings. The home was nowhere near as bright or beautiful as Rebecca's house, but it didn't look like a psychotic monster lived here. _"Those are only for movies, I suppose."_

The carpet was a beige shag carpeting, and the walls were made of oak hardwood. There were few windows to let the light in, and what windows there were had been cloaked by tan-colored satin curtains. What light there was had been created by the ambient, amber glow of lamps and the ceiling fan's light.

Even the sofa was a beige color, which took her back to a fun statement she read somewhere so long ago that claimed beige was the color of choice for evil.

"Just visiting."

"You never visit," Robbie hissed under his breath. Did he not want his mother to hear him? His eyes were wide and frantic, and the corners of his mouth were framed by two long lines. "Go home. I don't know what you're doing here."

"You know I don't listen to you, Robbie."

"I'll call Beck!"

"He knows I'm here." Robbie's shoulders fell and he threw his hands up with a frustrated grunt.

She wanted to meet Lanie, to see her in person and get a feel for this woman. She needed to see what made her tick, or at the very least, figure out what went on in this person's mind.

Still, the venomous glare she was receiving was both disconcerting and frightening. Lanie's narrow eyes seemed they might close if they narrowed any further. "This is your friend?" Lanie descended one step and wiggled her nose as Robbie looked up at her. "Don't be so hasty to run off a good friend, Robert."

He bowed his head in defeat. "Yes mother." Jade raised an eyebrow and watched him walk away. As she looked up, she scanned the walls for family portraits, or anything that might shed some light on their family background.

The walls were bare.

After hearing the recorder, Sikowitz didn't want Jade to go after Lanie-at least not on her own or until they had enough on the woman. She wasn't afraid of this woman, though she was more nervous now than she had been before.

"Funny, Robbie. You don't look a thing like your mother." Her eyes slid carefully onto Robbie and her eyes narrowed. "You look more like your father." She heard him gasp and looked delightedly at the woman on the steps.

The right corner of Lanie's mouth opened to reveal her teeth, while her forehead tensed and the skin around her nose tightened. This look remained for two seconds, then reverted back to a feigned smile. "Robert, go play with your toys." Robbie started to protest, but grew silent when his mother's disapproving glare fell to him. "Now, Robbie."

"Yes mother."

Jade raised an eyebrow and watched him saunter off. Her stomach began to twist and a lump swelled in her throat as Lanie descended the steps with a slow gait. Her eyes never left Jade, they seemed to study her as though waiting for her to do something.

"I don't know why, but I know you've been poking around. The question I have for you is: Why?" Her eyes widened and Lanie perched her right elbow in the palm of her left hand to reach up and tap her fingertip on her jaw. "Why is a fifteen year old girl asking questions where she has no business being? Is there something you hope to gain from it? Blackmail, perhaps?"

"I wouldn't say that."

Lanie circled her like a shark, sliding her finger down to her chin and stopping behind her. Her hot breath hit Jade's neck, and her skin burned at the touch. "Would you like a cup of tea? Anything for my boy's friends."

"No thank you. I'm more of a coffee drinker."

"That's fine." Lanie moved her cigarette to her lips, then made her way to the kitchen doorway. "I'll make myself a cup of tea then."

Jade followed after her. "When you say I'm 'poking around', what do you mean?" Lanie's hand fell and she leaned her head back, laughing out.

"Oh you know what I mean. People have been talking, they tell me you're asking a lot of questions about me and about what I've done in the past." Jade glanced at the silver tea kettle seated on a burner. She took a deep breath and held it in as she listened to the woman speak.

"You? You're not entirely important to me, so I have no worries about you. Ask what you will, and I will give an answer. I suppose if you must know, yes Robbie has a different father. Why would that be of any importance?"

"I…" She found herself mesmerized by the teapot, a sudden and strange fascination. Then, she was entranced as well by the velvet tone of Lanie's voice, it was as though this woman could talk herself in and out of any situation.

"Oh but I do insist on you having something to drink. I could make you some coffee. It would not take long, as I have a Keurig machine, you see." She glanced to the countertop beside the woman. Sure enough, there was a Keurig maker ready to go, and beside it was a stand with an assortment of flavors. "Since I have guests who do drink coffee, I find this is the quickest way to deal with them."

"Oh. I um, I appreciate that." She ran her hand along her neck and groaned inwardly as a sudden tension spread over her chest. "You know, I could go for some. Maybe just something simple? Vanilla?"

Lanie curled her lips into a smile and reached for the flavor cups. "Certainly." Jade's attention returned to the kettle on the stove and her lips separated, releasing a shaky breath. The air in the room had grown frigid, and she was struggling to breathe while the pounding in her chest intensified.

Every vein in her body pulsed with adrenaline, preparing her for what, she didn't know. Sikowitz's word of warning played replayed multiple times in her mind.

_"Do not go questioning Lanie by yourself, we do not know how dangerous she is, and you do not have the experience of questioning somebody like this. She may not see you as a threat, but she's unpredictable."_

Jade saw the sunlight glint off the small metal blade hidden inside the Keurig cup holder. It was such a simple mechanism, designed to poke a hole into the flavor cups and distribute water.

As Lanie brought down the lid, and the blade sliced into the lid of the cup, Jade was certain she felt a prickling sensation at her neck. "Would you care for some sugar, my dear?" Lanie reached into her cabinet and grabbed a large, but clear cylinder container. Inside was a large amount of white substance, and on the tube were words written in black marker: _Sugar for coffee_.

"Um sure. I don't use a lot of sugar though, so maybe just a spoonful."

"Gladly." It was strange to see sugar out of its regular store container, but there might be a legit reason for it. She had known some people who would buy sugar from the store and pour it into jars, so maybe this wasn't any different.

Still, she could not shake this feeling of horror that was crawling up her spine like a dark and venomous spider, waiting for the opportunity to sink its teeth into her. Something wasn't right.

"David tells me the girls have gone on a few trips of their own. It's so nice to see his children having some time to themselves. Lord knows they're always so busy."

"Yes. You care about them?"

"Not really. Nor do I truly care for David any longer." Lanie grabbed the tube of sugar and peered at the cup seated beneath the dispenser of coffee. "Certainly you understand how exhausting it is to be in the company of a loser like that."

"A-what?"

"He's always been a pathetic little boy. His son takes after him." The words crushed Jade's heart and she brought her hand up to her chest, then held back on her startled gasp. "Rebecca and I tried to help him out in college, but he had a good friend always living the good life. Did I care? No, but I felt such pity."

"You're saying Robbie is his son?"

"Born from a bout of pity sex. Sure I still sleep with him today, but only because he doesn't want to sleep with Holly. It 'doesn't feel right', even though that's what the loser wished for, family. So I pity him still today..." Lanie's eyes grew dull and her lips stretched into a straight line. "David wanted a daughter anyway, not a son. He also wanted a woman that wasn't me." Lanie reached for the cup, now full of coffee, and started to smile. "So I did. I gave him what he wanted, it was just a matter of convincing a former friend of mine."

"'Convincing'?"

"Yes, yes, but of course…she wasn't going to go along with it. She already had the perfect life, the perfect family." Jade's eyes widened and she took a careful step back. The woman may be handing a confession to her, but it couldn't truthfully be used. Not to mention, Lanie must feel secure about divulging this information-either that or she truly felt Jade was no threat whatsoever.

Or the sugar that Lanie was now dispensing into Jade's coffee wasn't truly sugar. Her body stopped in place, and she was now paralyzed. Unable to move, she studied Lanie closely. Lanie still stood strong and confident, and without a care in the world.

"Rebecca and I felt such grief for the man. We allowed him some leniency and even promotions, to give him the life that matched his fantasy. My uncle wasn't so eager, but he came around-I always can convince someone to see things my way."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I'm not worried about what you know." The air in Jade's lungs depleted and her temperature rose to deadly levels as Lanie carried the mug towards her. "Why should I concern myself with a fifteen year old little girl sticking her nose into business that isn't hers? I'm a judge, one of the best in this state…there's nothing that you could say to anybody that could make me sweat."

Jade grabbed the mug, watching her hand as though she were watching a movie on the screen. "I don't like to sweat either. I don't mind sweat so much, but I don't like sweating."

Lanie dropped her hands to her waist and Jade slowly brought the mug towards her trembling lips. So long as Lanie didn't know she worked for a private investigator, she could let the woman talk.

"David seemed certain that you had something to do with his daughters getting to go on that trip. It's funny, but I had my doubts."

"Oh." Jade closed her eyes and breathed in the warm aroma of coffee. It delighted her, but bore as well a slight sour stench that made her feel a tad queasy. "What are you worried about then?"

"Nothing. I'm worried about nothing. Just drink your coffee." Her eyes dropped to the hot, bubbling liquid, and her eyebrows pulled together to push up a wrinkle.

It was one thing that she didn't trust the drink enough, but it was another that there was an entire container of 'sugar' in the cabinet. She couldn't assume that it wasn't sugar, when it very likely was.

In that instant, the tea kettle erupted, sending its violent scream through the kitchen and stabbing Jade's ears. She jerked back, nearly dropping the cup, but spilling a great portion of coffee out onto the floor.

"Watch it!" Lanie screeched and looked down at her outfit. "This is a new outfit." Jade stared at the woman for a second before acknowledging the rush of adrenaline and fear in her veins, and bolting out the door.

When she reached her car, she realized she still had the cup of coffee in her hand. There was still a good amount, at least half of the drink remained. She set it down shakily in the cup holder, then started up the engine.

_"Sikowitz is going to be pissed, but at least we have something to test…"_ She didn't want to think that Robbie's mother may have tried to poison her, and it could very well just be sugar, but the fact that there was an entire jar of this substance seemed to imply that this had not been the first time Lanie had done this.

"We have something, something that if it doesn't come out as sugar…" She took a deep breath and looked at the house just in time to see a curtain shuffling in the front window. "You'd better hope I'm not as much of a threat as you think."

* * *

><p>Somewhat dangerous, perhaps more dangerous than David. Even Sikowitz told her to stay back. What do you think about the sugar? Is that just sugar, or something else? If it is something else, then this is the closest to the edge that Jade has gotten so far, but she's still teetering it. What are your thoughts on Robbie at this point, as well? Looks like Lanie doesn't care for even her own son. She's the true puppetmaster-an irony if you think about it. I can't help but to wonder why Robbie keeps Rex around.<p> 


	19. Atop a Golden Throne

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 19 (Atop a Golden Throne)<p>

Jade hurried into Sikowitz's downtown office with the cup in her hand. In her mind, she'd run the many ways this conversation could go, but she wasn't exactly certain how he would react. After all, she did go against his wishes in following up the lead on Lanie, so she hoped the cup containing whatever was inside of it would appease some of the anger he most certainly would have.

"Mr. Sikowitz, I've got something." She made her way into the office and saw him leaning over his desk. His elbows were bent and his hands were folded before his face.

His nostrils opened and his eyelids shut over his eyes. "You went to talk to Lanie after I explicitly told you not to." Her stomach gripped her heart and she froze to watch his eyelids slide open partially. How could he already have known? The irritation in his voice was heavy enough to crush her. "That is not a good way to go about your job."

"I'm sorry. How did you-"

"I needed you in the office half an hour ago, when you did not show, I contacted your boyfriend." Her shoulders fell and she glanced away momentarily, biting down on the inside of her lip. Sikowitz dropped his hands to the desk and leaned back, his voice steadily rising. "What were you thinking? We have no way of knowing whether or not Lanie is dangerous, and you are not a full or experienced enough investigator to deal with a suspect like this!"

Her eyes clenched shut and she attempted to push away the guilt crawling up her back. "I know you're upset, and I shouldn't have dealt with this alone. You're right."

"Damn right you shouldn't have." He stood up and walked around to the side of his desk. He crossed his arms and his eyebrows moved in like two cars crashing together. "She's already assumed dangerous and if something happens to you, _I'm_ responsible. Do you understand? I am held liable for your safety." She bowed her head and said nothing, knowing there wasn't much she could say to diffuse him.

Of course she didn't think his anger was wrong, he had every right to be pissed. "Mr. Sikowitz, I-"

"Don't." He cut her off and she raised her head up. His mouth was shut and his jaw locked in place. His right fingers were tapping his left forearm, but his body appeared loose and relaxed. His shoulders rose and fell with a heavy breath, then his arms dropped to the sides.

He shook his head and spoke up with a calmer tone that soothed the anxiety within her. "It's just your first mistake, I know you were just trying to help and get things done in a timely manner." Her lips curved up slightly and she watched his eyebrows fall to a neutral position. "Next time I tell you not to do something, however, I trust that you will listen."

"Yes sir."

She was safe here, and that was important. It terrified her to think she had to tell him he may have been right, but as long as she were here, Lanie couldn't touch her.

Sikowitz sat on the corner of his desk and crossed his arms. The man's eyes fell to the mug in Jade's hands, and his brow started to furrow. "You said you found something. What do you have?"

"Well you're right about one thing, that woman's scary and she may very well be dangerous." Jade set the cup down on the desk and peered into the brown coffee. "She told me a lot-a lot of stuff that I don't think is accessible in court. She said I wasn't a threat to her, that she was responsible for putting Holly and her daughters with David…"

There was a profound silence that followed the statement and she glanced towards her mentor to see his reaction. His eyes were now positioned on the wall in front of him and his body tense. "Holy shit," he whispered, "Unless we can prove that, we have nothing." He brought his hand up to his chin and slid his fingers slowly through his beard. "Any reason she told you this?"

"I think she knew I was looking into things." Jade took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "'Poking around', she said. She thinks I'm just a nosy teenager and says that not only am I no threat, but it could be her word against mine if it came down to it." She glanced back to the cup and frowned. "Not only that, but she may have been trying to poison me. If I'm right, I'm willing to bet she's done it before, and probably has her own method of disposing victims…"

"What makes you think she was trying to do this?"

"She was insistent on me drinking this. There was a container, just a large jar with white powdery stuff that she wrote 'sugar' on. I don't think it's sugar." She looked up at him and her eyebrows rose to the top of her forehead. "Is there any way to test? I ran when her tea kettle went off-got spooked."

"I will send a sample to the labs downtown. If there's anything in there, we will know." There was a flicker of something new in his gaze, and while she didn't quite know what it was, it made her feel good. Perhaps it was pride, or maybe an acknowledgement that something went right.

"Did I do well?"

"If there's something in there, then yes." He smiled at her and reached over, patting her once on the shoulder. "If it's poison, then we have something to investigate. Not to mention, there has been at least one odd occurrence in her neighborhood over the last few years."

"What?"

"If I recall." He stood up and walked towards his office window to peer out. He stood there for a long time, and a profound look of curiosity spread across his face. "A couple years apart, there were two people that she was the last person to see alive. They showed up at her house, family friends, and they were found dead hours later."

She sat on the edge of the desk and folded her hands in her lap. Her chest began to ache with a sudden onset of heaviness and pain. The deaths did sound suspicious, but she wasn't certain anything could be proven.

Sikowitz locked his wrists together behind his back and exhaled slowly. "Both times, they were in a car crash, the coroner couldn't find anything so their deaths were labeled accidental."

"Accidental?"

"One drove off a bridge, the other into a lake. Both of them appeared to have had a heart attack." He brought his hand up to his neck and ran it beneath the ends of his hair. "There was a third person, more closely related to the judge. Her mother. The woman had some kind of epileptic seizure and died on her kitchen floor."

"That's suspicious?"

"It is when the woman has never had a seizure in her life and is one of the healthiest, most fit elderly women alive." She gasped out and brought her hand up to her mouth. "I do not know what toxicology reports came back, or if the victims were truly poisoned-the poison is one of the undetectable kinds..."

He turned his head and met her stunned gaze with a frown. "If we can manage to pin a crime, any crime on her, then we can get somewhere. Still she's powerful, and has herself on a pedestal we may not be able to knock her from. This one…could get away from us."

The man fell quiet and Jade dropped her eyes to the floor, disheartened. She was aware he wasn't giving up, but for the first time she felt more confident than her own mentor was.

She glanced hastily at the cup and felt her heart beginning to swell with certainty. They could get Lanie, they had to. "No," she whispered. He raised an eyebrow and Jade lifted her head. "We can get her, and I know why-I know how. There's only one person she's terrified of, and for good reason, because she's the only person with more power that has history with her."

"Denise Harris?"

"Yes!" She answered with urgency and jumped up. "And I got Andre to get her to talk to me. I was going to talk to her after this." Sikowitz smirked and swept his hand towards the door.

"Then what are you waiting for? Interview that woman and see what she can do."

"She's a senator. She's got a senate assembly coming up, and if she can convince two thirds of the senate-she can have Lanie knocked off her golden throne." She smirked at the man and he chuckled in response. Granted, for that to happen, there had to be enough misconduct. There were two other methods for removing a judge, but regardless, Lanie may not wish to deal with all the attention. "If we're lucky, just the threat of removal might force Lanie to resign."

"Well. I don't know anything about this, you'll just have to discuss with Ms. Harris."

"Gladly."

It would be easier to remove a police commissioner, as then all a senator would have to do was press the state's governor, or even police chief, to fire the person. In which case, Jade wanted to try and talk to Denise about stripping both Rebecca and Lanie of their power.

It did pain her to think about having to talk some state senator into firing her boyfriend's mother, but Beck had already told her he would stand behind whatever decision this investigation led to-even if it meant his mother was in the crosshairs.

In about an hour, she was at Andre's place. It was a drab and boring apartment, and the air was thick with smoke from the cigarette his grandmother smoked. Fortunately, the woman was asleep, and Andre had already informed Jade that his mother was visiting-and for this moment.

She was in a brown recliner, and staring down at her hands as she twiddled her thumbs. "You're the investigator?" She jerked upright and turned to look around the back of the chair.

Standing at the doorway was a short, averaged sized woman with a straight, sharp face. Her dark hair was up in a bun, and her brown eyes seemed as though they could pierce through hardened cement.

Jade had never seen this woman before, and she certainly had an intimidating air about her that forced Jade into a stuttering trance for a few seconds.

Denise strode forward, her back straight and her head upright in a proud position. Her words were hot and like arrows aiming to embed themselves into any target. There was no question in Jade's mind that Denise had won, and held, her senatorial seat because of her voice and words.

She had seen the election debates before. Denise was a woman to be feared-the first black woman elected to the senatorial seat in the state of California, and how quickly she gained the vote against the prior incumbent.

She could be one of two things: The greatest ally, or the most vehement enemy. Much of California rallied behind her because when she promised to do something, she got it done, and fast.

"I don't have much time to talk, but I'm happy to discuss whatever it is that you wish to discuss." Denise pulled up a chair from the dining table and sat down before Jade. Her already slanted eyes narrowed further, her nostrils spread slowly, and her thin lips seemed to part. "Andre said this was about Holly Richardson? She was a dear friend of mine."

"Richardson?"

"Yes." Denise leaned back and kept eye contact with her. "I don't know why he says _Vega_, that woman never married David, she was married to Gary. I should know, I was her Maid of Honor, and she was mine." Jade's eyes widened and her jaw fell ajar.

Denise crossed her arms and tilted her head to the left. "What did she do that requires investigation? She is a good woman with a good head on her shoulders and cares for her family. Is she being accused of a crime?"

"No. Not at all." Jade grabbed the manila folder on her end table and cleared her throat. "On the contrary, we think she's a victim of a crime. She and her two daughters." The woman's eyes opened wide and her mouth opened further as a gasp flew in through her lips. "I was hoping for your assistance as well. You may be able to help us solve this. The suspects of the crime are shielded, protected by their power, but you can help bring that power down…"

"I'm sorry, did you say Holly was a victim?" Denise curled her hands over her knees, gripping them so firmly that her knuckles seemed to darken. "Is she okay? Is Gary alright? Are their children okay?"

"I can't say much, but her daughters are in a safe place for the time being. Gary has not had access to his family for at least ten years. He's the one who hired my boss, a private investigator."

"Gary hired a-" Denise groaned softly and brought her hand up to her forehead. "God, if he had to go so far to hire a P.I., then he's desperate. It can only mean he doesn't trust his fellow officers to investigate something-what is going on?" She dropped her hand and furrowed her brow. "Who are the suspects?"

Jade was affected deeply by the urgent tone and commanding sense in the question. It was best not to beat around the bush, but to be as direct as possible, even though it would spare Denise any comfort to be had by easing into this.

"Lanie Shapiro and Rebecca Oliver." The woman froze, her muscles tensed and the skin around her eyes and mouth folded while her nose crinkled.

"Those two?" Her voice had grown deeper, and venom dripped from her lips. "Of course _they_ would be involved. Rebecca's police commander now, correct? It would explain why Gary feels he has to go to a private investigator instead of the police…and Lanie." Jade flinched as the woman started to growl and shudder with rage. "You know of their involvement?"

"Off record, Lanie told me herself she was responsible. We can prove it, we can even investigate, but there's a bunch of corners we have to go around to get anything on her."

"Leave it to me then. That bitch doesn't deserve the pedestal she's on." Denise stood up and shot a glare at Jade. She began to feel uncomfortable, and somewhat frightened by this lady. Whatever hatred this woman had ran deep, and Jade was nearly afraid to try and utilize Denise's ability to put Rebecca and Lanie in their place.

It would take some time, but hopefully, not much. If Denise could indeed strip both of their power, it left them open to be investigated without them using whatever privilege or power they could use to silence investigation.

"Is there a lot of bad blood between the three of you?"

"A lot?" Denise stopped, then laughed. The laughter bellowed and shook the foundation of the home, giving the impression that the house may tumble on Jade. "Holly and I were part of this close knit friendship with Rebecca and Lanie back in high school, but Lanie? That bitch? She got everything she ever wanted and more by using whatever feminine wiles she had-not to mention, she had the power to control the student body. She was a cheerleader, half the school worshipped her."

"How does a good person get caught up with someone like that, Ms. Harris?"

"She didn't start out that way, no one starts out that way. It was some time after we met her that she changed-something just went off in that little platinum head of hers." Denise snapped her fingers and brought them up to her jawline. "As for David, we all saw how much that man pined for Holly, and how jealous he was of Gary. He wanted what Gary had, and he wanted Holly-so Lanie and Rebecca took pity on him. Lanie called him a loser, said he was just pathetic and miserable, and the only reason she slept around with him was out of pity. That's why I said it was impossible that Holly would _ever _be with David-even if she were separated from Gary, she was more well-rounded than that. She didn't want someone who was depressive, weak-minded, and didn't know what they wanted-she wanted a man who was confident and strong."

Jade curled her fingers over the folder and closed her eyes. There was still a little that would be okay to tell her, and that was the crime itself. "We believe that Lanie, Rebecca, and David may be part of a conspiracy to kidnap and hold hostage Holly and her two daughters."

Denise's eyebrows slammed down in the middle of her forehead, meeting together as her eyes opened wide. The corner of her mouth lifted into a snarl, and her hands slid to her waist. "Then what my son says makes sense. What about Gary? The last I saw that man at his wedding, he was higher promoted than David was."

"The promotions were granted through Rebecca, and through Lanie's uncle-former assistant police chief." There was solid proof of that, as Sikowitz had already found evidence pertaining to such a deed. This evidence could actually be presented against Rebecca, and could very well help bring her down a notch for corruption. "Gary was demoted, no reason was given, and police records indicate it was a back-door kind of deal."

She stopped herself and looked down at the folder with vacant eyes. Many thoughts were circulating through her, but there was one thing she was most curious about. "Ms. Harris?" She looked up with a slight smile. "The way you talk about Holly, you were close. How close? How long did you know her?"

Denise dropped her hands with a sigh and started to smile. "She and I actually knew each other all our lives. Our parents were family friends, close despite the times, and that closeness actually helped strengthen a friendship between us kids."

The tale was an inspiring one, and uplifting for her to hear. Now she only hoped that Denise could help her former friend. Denise chuckled sadly and ran her hand over her forehead. "It's been so long since I've really spoken to her, and I've always wondered why. I think…when I lost my husband and my babies, I just about disconnected from the world."

"They…died in a fire, right?"

"Yes." Her chest tightened and she pressed her lips firmly together as Denise's voice grew morose. "New Orleans police were certain that I left a pot on the stove by mistake, but I didn't. I have OCD, I would never forget to turn off a stove, much less leave a pot of food on to burn. "It was Lanie, I know it was her-she followed me to New Orleans and even threatened me."

"Why would she want to hurt your family? Why would she want to hurt Holly's family?"

"Because we screwed everything for her." Denise's arms folded over and she pat her forearm slowly while glancing out a nearby window. "Everything she'd ever done, all the crimes and people she hurt, we paid back. All the sleeping around, all the scheming, we made the reparations. We told people in charge, we told her family-because she was screwing them out of their money too. In turn, they disowned her. She lost a scholarship and got kicked out of school-"

"What?" Jade's head jerked back and she was struck hard by a wave of confusion. "How is she a judge if she got kicked out of school?" Denise raised her hand up and shook her head.

"She got accepted into another, smaller school, and as far as I know she fucked her way to the top. I know this because I had correspondence from her, mocking letters and emails saying she was getting everything she wanted just by sleeping with bosses and teachers, bribing and blackmailing people…and now she sits on her little throne that she got through means she didn't deserve."

She was shocked: Denise knew Lanie was corrupt. "H-How long did you know? Why did you do nothing?" Denise frowned and her forehead folded, creating two long lines across the front.

"Because in every single correspondence she gave, she threatened me, threatened Holly too. She always said if I did anything, she would hurt her somehow. I just…never realized she already _had_. Those letters, they're the reason I told Andre I didn't want him being friends with young Beck or Robbie, you understand."

"I think I do."

"Anyway." Denise cleared her throat and closed her eyes. "I need to catch a flight. I will bring up Lanie's corruption at the assembly and will push for them to remove her. I will also be speaking with the governor and police chief in regards to Rebecca-if there is anything to be done about those two, I will have it done." Denise scoffed and turned away. "Whatever immunity they think they have from criminal investigations…consider it revoked. Tell your boss, if he finds any evidence linking them to criminal activity, he will be allowed to investigate and arrest."

"I…will." She was astonished, but thrilled. This was a remarkable step in the right direction, but even still, it could bring more trouble than results if they weren't careful. They had to find evidence of something, and fast, because the moment the two women were taken down, they might be able to strike as a snake backed into a corner.

"In the meantime, I understand my son wishes to remain friendly with you and Beck-I will allow it because I know that you two are good people. However, as I am flying out, he will be joining me. I will not have him put at risk because of investigations on Lanie or Rebecca."

"I understand."

A small price to pay for justice. She didn't want anything bad to happen to Andre. Even though he was serving as support for Beck during all of this, it would be better for him to be safe rather than in the line of fire.

Still, if Denise came through, not only would it be a fantastic turn of events-but Holly may very well appreciate having one of her former best friends going out of their way to help her and her family.

* * *

><p>I need your input on something: Tori and Trina, they have some crucial growth moments that pertain to their character and certain plot events, while at the same time it is away from the investigation story. How do you think I should go about this? Do you want to see them in their perspective, or perhaps have Jade hear letters of how they're doing from Holly? We know also that the investigation may very well be wrapped up before the girls return. <p>

Now with that said, tell me your thoughts of the chapter. It looks like they've made some serious bounds in this: There's suspicious activity in Lanie's background regarding that poison and a few "accidents", and Denise has apparently pledged her support. Do you think this is a good sign? With the girls safe, though, it means Holly is the one in the most danger-but at the same time we have to remember that Holly may be descending into madness. With her daughters safe, there's nothing holding her back from taking out her anger on David-or even Lanie should she ever learn entirely that Lanie was the one responsible. The investigators may be on a time crunch, do you think they can do it before more blood is spilled?


	20. Ripples of Change

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 20 (Ripples of Change)<p>

Waiting was a pain, and watching was hell. Sikowitz informed Jade that while they needed to gather information, they had to play their cards right-and using their connection to Denise meant waiting for the woman to greenlight them by knocking Lanie and Rebecca down a peg.

Tori and Trina had been gone a week now, but Jade still went by the Vega home to check on Holly. At this point, while Holly was in the most danger, she was also the most volatile and needed to be watched. There were many signs she picked up on that now that both girls were safe, the way was open for Holly to attack David in some way. Sikowitz best explained it as a mother whose children had been so damaged that she was willing to exact revenge.

Jade was hoping her influence would keep Holly from taking advantage of such an opportunity.

"I honestly do not see the point of this," Holly muttered while lowering her hand that held a number of playing cards. Jade sat across from her, and with them were Cat and Beck. "Tori and Trina are not here, and you're playing cards with their mother." They weren't playing poker this time around, but rather an old and classic game of _Go Fish._

"I'm as surprised as you are," Cat agreed. Jade felt bad that she couldn't explain anything to Cat. What little Beck-and even Andre-were aware of at this point, it was more than could be said of what the redhead knew. With Andre, his mother maintained that Holly was never meant to be with David, and the girls were not his. Because Denise already had history and knowledge enough to say this, it didn't disrupt Jade's investigation in any way.

Cat, on the other hand, was blissfully unaware of the horror that was in this house. If she knew, she would likely not want to be sitting where she was. "I'm glad Robbie isn't here though," Cat stated abruptly, "That puppet of his always creeps me out. It's like Rex is watching us-does anyone else ever feel that way?"

"On occasion." Beck shrugged and focused intensely on his cards. "I know Rex's eyes aren't normal, but I doubt the puppet's watching anyone." He cleared his throat and his eyes shot out over his cards. "Three. Does anyone have any _threes_?"

"Draw again," Jade replied smugly. He was currently holding the most cards, but had the least sets on the table. Beck groaned loudly and grabbed a card from the deck. Jade shifted to a more comfortable position on the chair and looked up to Holly. "So Mrs…." Her voice trailed off, she was still unsure what to call the woman. In front of Beck and Cat, it was likely she should still refer to her as Mrs. Vega.

Holly's eyebrow rose and her lips fell partially. "Yes Jade?"

"Have you received any word from Tori and Trina? I know they're both cut off from technology, in their own way, but they're writing to you aren't they?"

Tori would have access to technology at least, but it would be difficult for her to use it because of all the regions she'd be going through. Still, she had to access a computer to talk to teachers back home and do her studies. Trina, on the other hand, was at a camp that didn't allow their students to have access to these things.

"Yes. Tori has some free time when she's able to use the computer, but isn't long. She writes too. I get the mail, so I get their letters."

"How are they settling in?"

"They're good." Holly glanced at her cards, then cracked her neck to the right. "I'll take any Jacks." Beck moaned again and grabbed the card he just drew.

"I swear you guys know what comes next in that damn pile!"

"I'm a mother." Holly smirked as she took his card and inserted it with two other Jacks. "I know all." The woman straightened her posture and moved her eyes into Jade's. "Tori says she isn't looking forward to going through the hot deserts, but she's very interested in seeing all the wildlife and scenery. She's thrilled to learn more about biology. Trina's having a harder time settling in, she's happy about the chance to go to this camp but I think she really wanted to stay here."

"That's understandable," Jade replied coolly, "She wanted to look after you." Holly smiled briefly and nodded her head.

"She was surprised on the first day of camp." Jade leaned forward, raising her eyebrows at the newly chipper tune entering into Holly's voice. The mother's eyes lit up and she swayed to the right as though recalling a fond memory. "In kindergarten, she had this wonderful friend whom always came over to have sleepovers or play dolls with her, and on occasion she'd sleep over at her house."

"You don't say?"

"Lindsay. That was her name. Her father had to transfer out of state, so Trina was devastated when she lost her best friend." Holly peered down at her cards, gripping them firmly as Beck and Cat looked up at her with new interest. "Lindsay was her first real friend. Apparently she got involved in martial arts too at some point, she's also one of the counselors at that camp-she referred to Trina by name. Remembering her."

"By name?" Her lips fell into an open smile and her eyebrows shot up. "As in her full, proper name?"

"Yes, the girl remembered her." This was before the kidnapping, so there wasn't any doubt Lindsay would have called Trina by 'Richardson'-Jade only wished she could have been there to see Trina's shock. "Trina says Lindsay, and Jason as well, have really helped her settle comfortably at camp, although Jason has her working harder than the others."

"Not surprised. I seem to recall him saying that she had to work hard because she wasn't at the same level as the other camp counselors."

"Yes. I'm a little concerned, but he seems like a nice guy, and Trina actually sounds taken with him." She paused and watched Holly's mouth close and spread into a more pleasant smile, the first look of joy that she'd seen on the woman's face. "She says they had a long talk on the third day there, she wasn't feeling comfortable about something, so he talked to her, and she sounded a little happier-and that's all I could ask for."

"How can you tell?" Cat marveled. Jade chuckled at the girl while Holly shook her head.

"A mother knows these things. Just like I know my Victoria is taken by Ian." Holly's shoulders dropped and her eyebrows seemed to quiver in place. "I…I can only hope my daughters find some semblance of peace." Holly then cleared her throat and asked for _Queens_, to which Beck begrudgingly handed over two cards.

To his annoyance, Holly joined four cards together and set them on the table.

Cat excused herself to the bathroom after the game's rotation swung past her. Jade decided now to utilize the moment of asking more specific questions. "Where's David at?" Holly hummed and motioned her head to the door.

"Police chief called him in. I suspect he has some work to do. I'd rather not discuss the menace right now. Now that my girls are out…" Jade reached out to Holly's wrist and set her hand on it, gazing gently into the woman's eyes.

"It's okay." She knew the hatred the woman felt, and how trapped she must have been. After the man hurt her child, it was her children's presence that kept her from fully taking out her rage on him. She was a mother that had to protect her young, and now that they were safe, she would be unleashed if not careful. "He can't hurt them again."

The woman flared her nostrils and pulled her wrist away. "How close are you to figuring things out. Tori and Trina, they're both scared." Jade smiled with reassurance, and Holly began to relax.

"Let's just say we found a very powerful ally. Her assistance, we hope will enable us to pursue an investigation. We probably have enough to arrest David, but he's just a puppet in this…we need more evidence on the people in control, otherwise they'll just put him right back out."

"Shit."

"They can't do that, however, if their power is gone."

Holly set her cards face down and studied Jade for a long time, her face seemed to grow more perplexed with each second of silence that crept up around them like smoke. "Powerful ally? What do you mean?" Holly shook her head and cleared her throat. "Who's helping?"

"One of your best friends. She stayed away because she thought she was keeping you safe, when she realized what happened to you and the girls…she was ready to take action, and that was over a week or two ago. We could be seeing ripples of her influence pretty soon…"

When she saw the tears form, she was relieved to figure the woman knew now. Holly's hand cupped over her mouth and she hunched forward, sobbing once into the palm of her hand. Beck looked up from his cards with a puzzled look, then shook himself.

"Denise? You found Denise? B-But what can she do? What will she do?"

"I don't know exactly what, but I figure it'll be the smallest step first." Denise said she would talk to the governor and police chief, so perhaps the fact that the police chief called David in was a sign of the woman's influence.

She started to say something more, but was cut off by the doorbell slicing through the silence. "I'll get that." Holly stood up and wiped away the tears in her eyes before hurrying to the door.

When she opened the door, Gary took a step in and Holly stepped back once. On first glance, Jade noticed something different about him. He had on a police cap, a uniform with a badge, but his insignia was different. Now his uniform had two bars-a sign of a police captain.

Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes grew in surprise. Beck's eyebrow rose when Holly's hands moved up to her mouth. "Gary? You're…" Gary laughed incredulously and spread his arms out.

"I can hardly believe it myself," Gary announced, "Chief Williams said he pulled my records, did an investigation and deduced that I had been wrongfully demoted. He looked at my conduct over the years and promoted me up to Captain."

Holly's body jerked and she cried out while throwing her arms around his neck. Gary moved his arms around her waist and furrowed his brow as she buried her head into his shoulder. "Is it true? The girls are both safe?" The woman nodded and looked up into his eyes. She pulled her hand up and set it lightly on his cheek, whimpering as her body started to tremble.

"I can't take much more," Holly answered shakily, "Gary, I…" She cleared her throat and closed her eyes. "David. What happened to him? He said the Chief wanted to talk to him."

Gary smirked and pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "He's back at the office, working on a shit load of paperwork. Chief's watching over him. Apparently someone high up figured out he didn't deserve those last few promotions-the chief demoted him back to a first tier Detective, and he's also ordered a full investigation on the Commander's conduct. Suffice to say, Rebecca may be discharged…someone pushed for all of this. I don't know what, I don't know who, but someone lit a fire on the Chief-you should have seen him. He's also looking into the former Assistant chief. You remember. Lanie's uncle. The Chief was pissed off to hell having to investigate potential corruption within his own ranks."

Jade felt someone nudge her and looked over to see Beck eyeballing her. "Was this anything to do with your talk to Denise?" Her only response was a smug grin.

"Those ripples I was talking about a while back, Beck? Here we are. Ripples turn to waves." Through investigation, they could prove a connection between Rebecca and David, and one Rebecca lost power, she couldn't save him.

Now all she needed was to get the toxicology reports back from the lab, but Sikowitz likely had those by now. Lanie was still treacherous, and in a strong position, but time would soon tell the cards to be played.

It wouldn't be long before she realized what was happening, however. Still, the ripples that just came provided her with an advantage-and a decision that was not lightly made.

"David and Rebecca will be losing power. They're not going to be happy, but Ms. Harris just provided us with an opportunity." Now, it seemed Gary had more power than David-the pendulum had gone full swing.

She stood from the table and clapped her hands once to gain the attention in the room. "Gary, you're in charge of a team now, I presume?" Gary stepped away from his wife and turned towards Jade, nodding once. "How are they? Do you know them yet?"

"Yes. I've worked with all of them before. They're good detectives. David is…not on that team, thankfully. I'm no longer trapped under that man's damned thumb."

She approached him and looked out the door, humming thoughtfully. "Are your relatives safe? Your parents, your siblings? I know from what Mr. Sikowitz says, you received threats over the years that if you acted out, they'd go after your other relatives."

Gary furrowed his brow and nodded firmly. "My parents have lived in New York for the last five years, and my younger sister is in Texas with her family. I have no doubt in my mind that they are all out of reach and safe."

"And now your daughters are safe on trips that will keep them at least four or five months. So…" She motioned to Holly and cleared her throat. "The only one still in harm's way at the moment is your wife. She's still married to you, she can leave with you…you can have the detectives working for you-that you know and trust-place her under protective custody even."

"I have to have cause. I would do it in a heartbeat, though. Still, ordering them to protect her, that means-"

"It means they'll know you were a victim. If they don't already." Jade crossed her arms and Gary frowned. "I probably have no business suggesting something like this right now, not without going to Sikowitz first, but I think a door's been thrown open. We can now investigate further, and maybe-hopefully-get to the point that we're able to make an arrest."

"As long as Rebecca is Police Commander, David's untouchable. I could potentially reach out and have him fired, but that would just be seen as me acting out."

"And I don't want him doing anything," Holly interrupted, "Because they could go after him. I don't want to lose my husband to those people. I don't want my daughters to lose their father. Anything done needs to be done carefully."

Jade could see it in Gary's eyes; he wanted to take Holly to freedom now. David never allowed Gary over here when he wasn't present, and this was the reason, but now David couldn't control the man's actions.

Holly was a proud woman, and she put her family's safety before her own-even now she didn't appear to want Gary doing anything to endanger himself, even when it meant keeping herself in the line of fire.

"I agree, it's delicate. Just…I need to talk to Mr. Sikowitz first." He had to have something more. There ball was, without a doubt, in their court. "Also?" Her lips curved into a smile and she crossed her arms. "Denise wants you to call her, you'll have to go through Andre's phone, but she wants to talk to you." The two parents froze, their mouths fell open in shock and Gary took a slight step forward.

"Denise. She's a senator now-was this her doing? Chief said someone high was pushing him to investigate, to act. Could she-?" She heard a clattering noise and turned to see Beck dropping his phone onto the table. He was glaring at it as if it were an insect to be swatted.

Her lips pursed and he glanced up slowly. "Mom's texting. She wants me to come home-apparently she's having a panic attack."

"Perfect." Beck rolled his head sideways and she wrung her hands together. "Beck, you mother's the weak link. If we can weed her, get her to talk to us…without implying anything, Beck, get her to talk to you. She's in an emotional state, I'm sure."

"What? You want my mother to confess to me?"

"Just play off her emotions for a bit. I know how this will work…if she's guilty of anything and feels guilty, influence her. Play the concerned, grieving son, find a way to get her to turn herself in."

"Maybe have her step down while you're at it," Gary scoffed, "I'd love to see that bitch resign from her job. No offense to you and your mother." Beck dismissed him with a wave and drew out a heavy sigh.

"I'll see what I can do, but I don't know if I'll get far with her."

Jade was sure he'd get somewhere at least. If the woman was having a breakdown, then it was obvious she was in a very emotional and easily manipulated state. If Beck was good at anything, it was controlling the situation when talking to someone in such an emotional situation.

In the meantime, she would head over to Sikowitz's office and see what he could find. At this rate, their investigation could move in full swing, but they still had to be delicate. Even with David and Rebecca in strong positions, Lanie was the greatest threat-with the two pillars crumbling, she was still a threat. However, how long could a table stand when its legs have been kicked from beneath?

She could only pray Denise's motion to remove Lanie from office would be swift. If there was anything to investigate that woman on, they didn't need her power as judge to play any sort of immunity.

* * *

><p>So many things to focus on here, what are your thoughts? We're beginning to see small changes, which are big on the scale of progress, but small when considering Denise's involvement. Pushing the current, non-corrupt Police Chief to make some adjustments and investigate his own people is one thing. What do you think will come next? Gary does want to take Holly to safety, but she doesn't want him endangering himself, but could he? Let's see what Sikowitz has, certainly there's something more. One thing is certain, the safeguards that the three villains had are falling. Also food for thought, perhaps Gary's team that he now leads could be a strong ally.<p> 


	21. A Loyal Team

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 21 (A Loyal Team)<p>

"Did you hear the news?" Jade skipped over greetings when entering Sikowitz's office, she was far too excited to waste time with pleasantries. Sikowitz glanced up from some papers on his desk and flashed a smile. "Mrs. Oliver may lose some power, and Mr. Vega's losing his immunity."

"That leaves Ms. Shapiro." He leaned back and slid his hands behind his head. "The toxicology reports are back on what you found in that drink." She hesitated and dropped her gaze down to the papers. "It's a highly toxic poison that interferes with the heart and can cause failure of the heart or liver. It's also not easily traceable." She brought her hand up to her chest and winced as a sudden jolt of pain crashed into her chest.

"That's frightening."

"Yes. Still, it's traceable. The medical examiners either didn't catch it, or they were paid off. It would be wise to exhume the bodies of the suspicious deaths surrounding Lanie's past. Unfortunately, it's not an easy task. I'm used to working on cases alone, but I'm more used to working side by side with an investigative task force within the police."

First thought was to ask Gary's new team to help with the investigation. They knew the man, and Gary trusted them not to be corrupt officers and detectives. While it was a good thought in hindsight, Gary would probably not approve of such activity. "Can we even get a warrant to search Lanie's house?" Sikowitz raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"She's not the only judge here. We could be granted a search warrant from a judge that has no history with her." He pulled his right hand down and planted his palm firmly against the papers. "Still, the fact that our labs detected such a poison is enough to warrant a search. The poison she has is illegal to possess at large quantities."

"Well, we know what to look for, then." Jade shrugged and crossed her arms. "So what's the problem? Are we going to be able to get in there at all?"

"She still has power that might hinder us." He scratched his beard and narrowed his eyes at the clock on his wall. "How many lawyers has she worked with, and how many judges? How many investigators ride on her coattails?"

"That might change though."

"We cannot assume that Denise will be able to come through on this. If she does, we have a wider range for which to work-but if she can't get Lanie pulled out, we have to consider that we're going to be running an investigation on a judge."

He spun his chair around, turning the back towards her. His right leg pulled up to rest on his left knee and he tapped his fingertips together above his abdomen.

Jade could feel the tension in the air, and with it came a sudden mix of despair. She didn't want to give up on trying to catch Lanie-they had to be able to get this woman. Rebecca and David, they could catch now; or at least David. They still had very little to go on with Rebecca.

Aside from her name having been behind the sudden unexplained promotions he received in recent years, there was still little else connecting her to the victims of the crime.

"I have some connections I can reach out to as a last resort, should Lanie retain her position if Denise fails. The fact remains, a highly dangerous poison found in lethal dosages is in that house of hers." He sighed heavily and turned his chair partially. "At least three people died after visiting her, each of a symptom caused by coming into contact with such a thing."

"Is that enough to arrest her?"

"And charge her with what, exactly?"

Jade approached the desk and leaned over it, pushing her palms against the surface. "Murder." She looked into his eyes, searching for a sign of certainty. Sikowitz turned fully towards her and reclined.

"Can we prove she murdered anybody?" His eyebrow slid up along his forehead. Jade pulled away from the desk with an exhausted sigh. Her hand moved up to her brow and scratched at the dry skin.

"She has a poison. People died." If that wasn't enough for an arrest, then what was? Or perhaps it was simply circumstantial. Her mentor was right, without a link, they couldn't prove that Lanie poisoned anyone. "She tried to have me poisoned."

"Unless we can exhume those bodies and have medical examiners that we trust check for this particular trace of poison, we have nothing to say that Lanie did it. Even then, we will have to search her home and find the poison in her house. _Before_ she has time to get rid of it."

"Okay. I get it. It isn't going to be as simple as I thought." She fell into the chair across from his desk and slid her hand into her hair. Sikowitz studied her for a moment and dropped his hands to the arm rests on his chair.

"Nothing is ever easy, Miss West. You have to bear that in mind." She frowned at him and lowered her hand. There was a tremble in her throat, so she held back her own thoughts for fear that her voice would waver with her speech. "You do have the misfortune of stumbling onto a high profile case."

"High profile?" She scrunched her nose and lifted her head to an upright position. "It's that big?"

"Well, it would be. All of the suspects in this are important figures. I have to be honest, it is one of the more difficult cases that I have had to work with."

There was a loud knock at the door, startling the two. Jade turned around in her chair and glanced back to see three uniformed detectives in the doorway.

The one in front seemed the most serious. He was tall and had a strong build, and light blonde hair that fell in waves around his chin. Standing slightly behind him was a man and woman, both with short brown hair and curious expressions.

The three detectives were by no means young, but they were not as old as Gary was. So Jade assumed they were in their thirties, or very early forties at the most. "Can we help?" The blonde asked. Sikowitz looked up at him and leaned over the desk. His forearms folded on the top and his head tilted a bit.

"Who are you?"

"Oh. Sorry." The man cleared his throat and looked back at the two detectives with him. "I'm Detective Mark Jones, and with me are Detectives Velma Rodgers and Peter Franklin. The other two that work with us are back at the office, but they're willing to help too…as is our medical examiner."

Sikowitz sat upright, his right fingertips were tapping endlessly on the desk, one finger after another. "Let me ask again: Who are you?" Mark turned back to Sikowitz and crossed his arms.

"We work with-or _for_, now, Captain Richardson."

"Hard to get used to that," Velma replied, "It was a surprise. Not to mention our former Captain was demoted so suddenly and moved to another location…" Velma adjusted the glasses on her face and looked towards Mark. "Mark got all of us interested in Gary, we know he hired a private investigator, he just doesn't know we've been watching him."

"Yeah he always seemed upset about something. Never talked about his family or anything."

How long had these detectives been standing outside, Jade wondered. She was usually good about closing the door behind her, but this time she'd been so excited that she forgot to close it. Somehow, Mr. Sikowitz hadn't noticed.

"How much of our investigation did you hear?" Jade asked nervously. She felt her mentor's eyes on her now, burning into her with aggravation. "I thought I shut the door, I-"

"We heard enough to know that Captain Richardson is a victim of a crime," Detective Franklin answered. Mark nodded slowly while Peter continued. "You need help with an investigation, and we'd be more than willing to help. Those bodies you found, who was the medical examiner that examined them?"

Sikowitz seemed to hesitate, but after several seconds of silence, he grabbed the papers on his desk and read them out. "All three cases were found to be accidental deaths due to heart failure. All three autopsies were performed by Dr. Eric Morris."

Velma walked over to the desk and held her hand out for the papers. Sikowitz gave her the files and smiled slightly. "This man," Velma began, "Lost his license two years ago." Sikowitz's eyebrows shot up and he exchanged a look of surprise with Jade. "Many of the bodies he examined had to be reexamined. We could have these three vic's exhumed and checked by Julia. Our medical examiner."

"Does Gary know about this?" Jade was curious about whether or not they had the approval of their new boss, and if not, would Gary approve of his team trying to look into his past? "I mean it's great that you care about him, it shows loyalty and all that, but…"

"He's our friend," Mark answered, "We knew him when he was _Detective_ Richardson. As for what we're doing now, it was mainly Sam's idea. Sam Valentine, one of the two on our team that couldn't make it here. He and Gary had the closest relationship as detectives." The name sounded familiar to Jade, but she pushed the curious thought aside for more pertinent matters. "He wanted us to figure out what's going on. Said he got Gary talking once and knows some bad shit happened with his family, and that's why he hired a P.I. He wants us to help."

"Alright." Sikowitz hung his arm over his chair and took the paperwork back from Velma. "The reason Mr. Richardson came to me is because one of the suspects involved in his case has a firm hold on the city's police." Mark's brow furrowed and the other two detectives looked to Sikowitz with earnest. "Any investigation by the city's police could easily be squashed, and the victims in this case would be at risk."

Sikowitz raised his right hand to his beard and turned his eyes onto the desk. "Even Gary's own life could be at risk. That is why he hired me. I would be willing to work with you on this, but I need to know two things first." He pulled his hand away and flipped up two fingers. "I know that your team can be trusted and I can work with you without risk of an investigation being turned away, and that Mr. Richardson is willing to let you do this."

"You can trust us because we're doing this for him, but he may not want us looking into his life. I don't know."

"Maybe Sam could talk to him?" Velma inquired. "Certainly we could get things done quicker. I know I'm not going to stop investigating if anyone higher up says not to."

"That's the danger," Sikowitz muttered, "You don't want to go rogue." He dropped his hand back to the desk and slowly shook his head. "I'm willing to share my evidence, along with anything else, but know that I'm still the lead investigator-should this alliance happen. While _Captain_ Richardson is now your boss, he is still my client. I retain full rights and privileges concerning my client. So full cooperation with the LAPD is going to have to come from him. Furthermore, this means I am going to have to discuss the situation with him myself. I would happily accept your assistance with this case, but there are things I must deal with first."

Jade thought on herself for a moment, then looked at Sikowitz with a wide smirk. "Can't hurt." He shot a dull glance at her. "How much more pissed can he get with you after you hired on a teenage girl, right? You just don't want to have to deal with the shouting and questioning of your methods again." Sikowitz rolled his eyes and groaned.

* * *

><p>What are your thoughts here? Do you think Gary's team can be a valuable asset? They are loyal friends, that's for sure. There's also a secret regarding the members of the team, but since it has nothing to do with this story I'll just say it. At least Mark and Velma are meant to be the inspired grandchildren of a much loved mystery group from the childhood of people my age and older. Ah Casey Kasem, may you rest in peace. And yes, Detective Sam is a relative of Cat's. Now on to the chapter. We've discovered Lanie does have poison, there's suspicion surrounding other deaths, and she may have paid off a prior medical examiner. A lot circulating there. In other news, an arrest may be coming for David fairly soon.<p> 


	22. Fights and Letters

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 22 (Fights and Letters)<p>

Jade sat at the usual cafeteria table with Beck and Robbie, she was amazed by the empty feeling that surrounded them. With Tori and Andre gone, it felt incomplete to be here. Cat was also elsewhere, busy with a school project. "Doesn't feel right," Robbie muttered, "What's happening with all of us?"

Beck had distanced himself from Robbie and was sitting an entire seat away from the boy. Of course, he wouldn't make eye contact. Robbie had Rex with him, and currently was staring at the puppet with a forlorn expression.

There was more to it from what Jade saw. His right cheek had been bruised by something, and his entire body was tense as if he were bracing himself for an attack of some sort. Even Robbie's eyes, now shielded by messy hair, held a bitterness in them that spoke volumes to Jade.

Seeing that Beck wasn't going to communicate with Robbie, she decided it was best for her to open the lines of communication. "What's the matter, Robbie?" Beck's gaze shot over to her and his eyes narrowed while Robbie jerked up with an astonished gasp.

"You're asking-what do you care?"

"Something's on your mind. So talk." Robbie scoffed at her and looked towards Beck. She had to wonder just how much she and Beck were holding against him that he was actually guilty of. While she didn't trust him, and she was almost certain he was involved in this whole set up with his mother, she couldn't help but to feel like there was something more to him. "Do you think we're judging you or something?"

"You think I can't tell you hate me?" Robbie's sharp voice struck her like a punch to the gut, and his eyes turned to anger in an instant. "You and Beck both, suddenly neither of you want anything to do with me." Beck responded with a grunt, and Jade shook her head at him, hoping her boyfriend would have the sense not to respond with anger towards Robbie. "I shouldn't be surprised, no one ever has, but I can't believe my own cousin-"

"We're not cousins." Beck snarled and Robbie flinched. Jade's eyes widened and she stared at her boyfriend, watching without being able to do anything as Beck leaned towards Robbie. His nostrils flared out and his lips stretched into a wide snarl. "Uncle Thomas isn't your real father, Robbie, or did you not know that?"

Robbie rolled his eyes and growled in return. "I knew that. I was hoping it wouldn't change anything."

"Well it does." Beck threw his hand up and raised his voice, as if he had a flair for the dramatic. Jade was astonished by this action, but she was so perplexed that she could hardly muster the ability to intervene. "It changes everything! How could you _possibly_ expect anything to stay the way they were? You're probably just as nuts, just as vile, just as psychotic as that mother of yours."

"What?" Robbie dropped Rex to the ground and rose up from his seat, towering over Beck. "I am nothing like my mother." Jade flinched as Robbie's fist sailed through the air and struck Beck in the jaw.

She jumped up as her boyfriend scrambled to the ground. "Beck!" The man looked up, seething as Jade knelt beside him. Robbie's shadow fell over him and his eyes began to fill with pain.

"Don't you dare accuse me of being anything like my mother. You don't know what I deal with, what I go through." Robbie's chest expanded and his nostrils spread wide. "Trying to please my mother and make her happy when she could hardly care anything for me. If anything, maybe you're like your own."

"Fuck you." With that, Beck shot up and lunged for Robbie, tackling him to the ground. Jade watched in horror as the two men scrapped with each other. She wanted to pull them apart, but she was afraid she'd get caught in the line of fire.

Beck slammed his cousin down on the pavement and grabbed his shirt collar, pulling Robbie up partially and glaring vehemently in his eyes. "If you ever say that again, I swear I'll shove my fist so far down your throat you won't be able to eat for a week."

Robbie spat out at him and his face twisted into a poisonous scowl. "Do it. I don't care." Beck raised his fist, but before he could strike, someone grabbed his wrist. When Jade glanced up, she saw the school's counselor, Lane, and Mr. Sikowitz standing over them.

"That's quite enough," Lane shouted. "Both of you. My office. Now."

Jade remained in place, paralyzed and only able to watch as Beck and Robbie were carted away. It all happened so quickly, she was horrified that she hadn't been able to stop it before it began.

"What happened here?" Sikowitz knelt beside her and she looked into his comforting gaze. His eyes bore a look of profound knowledge, she expected this as he knew who the boys' parents were. "It wouldn't have anything to do with our two suspects, would it?"

"It all…happened so fast." She glanced at the puppet nearby and reached for it, grabbing the doll's ankle and pulling it towards her. "Maybe I should take this back to Robbie."

"Maybe." Sikowitz put his hand on her shoulder and sighed. "Later, though. Give them some time. Let Lane talk them down."

"Y-Yeah." Her throat tightened until she could no longer speak. She pulled herself up and grabbed her glass of water, craving the soothing drink. After guzzling down half the glass, she opened her eyes and glanced back to Sikowitz. "Something seemed wrong with Robbie, so I asked. He said something that set Beck off, Beck said something and Robbie hit him. Next thing I know, they're fighting. I should have just-"

"It's not your fault, Jade. Both of them are likely to be dealing with their own things. Give them some time to cool off."

"I will." She sat back down at the table and ran her hand through her hair with a heavy sigh. "You're still waiting to talk to Gary? Has he said anything about his team wanting to help with the investigation?"

"I will be meeting with him this afternoon. I will bring up their offer then. I suspect he won't be thrilled that they want to assist, but their help will be invaluable. I think he will understand. In fact, their assistance also means we'll get this case worked on much quicker."

"What about Robbie and Beck? Their fight…their moms are going to know."

"I don't think that's going to affect anything at all. Just relax. Go home and get some rest."

"Okay." She scratched at her forehead and looked off to the road, idly watching the cars driving by. "So Gary's team. They really want to help?"

"Yes. They care enough about him, it seems. It's a good thing."

"Good. You've talked to Gary about getting Holly into protective custody or something? I know she doesn't want him to do that because it'll risk his life, but-"

"He wants to, and I'm sure if we get his team to work with us, we can arrange something. We can't force Holly to do anything she doesn't want to do-or we could, but it's a delicate situation."

"Right…"

After arriving home, Jade found two letters awaiting her in the mail. They were from Tori and Trina both. Pleased to see they wrote back to her, she carried them to her bedroom for further reading.

She wrote them with the desire to see how they were doing on their trips. It had been nearly three weeks now, so hopefully they were getting used to the separation. The first one she opened was Tori's, she wanted to get past that one since Tori was more of a stress bucket than Trina. She knew the girl felt like things were moving far too slowly, and even Jade felt that way.

Tori's letter was like a breath of fresh air, however. The girl seemed more focused with what was happening on the road than she was with the investigation-though she still mentioned it in hopes that it was going well.

_It's amazing, Jade. We're staying in one place for a day or two to study everything. Sometimes longer, depending on the location. Did you know there's this big old area in New Mexico that has a dried up lake bed with fossilized dinosaur footprints? Oh my god!_

Jade laughed lightly and looked up from the note. It was amusing to see Tori's exploration of the outside world. Maybe it was the fact that this was the girl's first time outside of her captive lifestyle. Her first taste of freedom, and everything that surrounded her must be more of an excitement than what the average person saw.

Or perhaps, Tori was just excited. She smirked lightly and peered back at the letter.

_At some point we'll be camping in Durango, Colorado. We haven't gotten there yet, but Ian says I'm going to love all the mountains. I can't wait, but he says it's cold up there. I guess if it is cold, maybe we can cuddle up by a campfire or something? I feel warm when he's around me, and safe. His mom and dad are great too. You would love the jokes Mr. Dennison tells! Then there's their friend, the biologist-well she's actually a veterinarian, but she's got a degree in biology. She's amazing! There are so many things she has to teach me. _

_ I can't wait to get home and tell everyone there all about what's going on. I do hope the investigation is going well, and that mom's safe. Whatever happens, I want momma and Trina to be okay. _

_ You said you and Mr. Sikowitz would help us, that you would save us. I'm holding you to that, but I'm scared. I don't want to come home and find things worse, and part of me feels…Ian's calling me, wants to take me for a walk around the campsite. We're in a nice location, I like it more than the deserts of Nevada and Arizona. I'll write back another time._

Jade's stomach tightened and she dropped the letter on the bed. Her mind drifted back to the fight the boys had and she shuddered. She didn't want to admit she was frightened of things getting worse as well.

They were better, yet, and she would write back to both girls about their father's promotion. If she was certain of anything, she could provide them with a glimpse of relief.

Next, she opened Trina's letter. She was half surprised the girl wrote back to her at all, since Trina didn't appear to care much about her.

When she unfolded the paper, she was impressed by the neat handwriting that Trina had. For a girl with everything on her mind, it was nice to see she'd had enough practice with penmanship to write so legibly.

_He's annoying. I don't know what it is about him, but I keep wanting to talk to him. You asked me about Jason, and all I can say really is that he's one of the only people here I know. He's in charge of all the counselors and acts like a leader, he's strong and yes I was impressed with how he handled David. Does that mean I like him? Well, I don't know. I don't know what you saw or what mom told you…yes he's attractive, and he's quiet. He doesn't talk much, but when he does, everyone listens. Kind of like what happened with David, I still laugh when I think about it._

_ I hope the investigation's going well, and I hope mom's okay. I hate that I had to leave her back there with that monster, but I guess it's for the best. I'm doing okay. An old friend of mine is here, she's someone who remembered me from kindergarten-which was amazing-she's my roommate. _

_ We talk every night, and well, she knows. I told her…I was having nightmares one night and she was still awake. So I told her. She's a comfort, and we laugh about random things until we fall asleep. Okay, so I'll admit we talk about boys, she's trying to set me up with Jason. I don't honestly know why in the hell she's doing that, he doesn't seem like he's interested in relationships right now. To be honest, I'm kind of nervous about the thought of relationships myself. _

_ Should I give it some thought? Should I try? I don't even know how they work! I don't know, but lately, training with him has become enjoyable. Maybe it's because I feel okay around him. When we had to talk to David, you're right, I got scared. I hate admitting it, but that man…well, it felt good when Jason stepped up and took the lead, I was okay with letting him do that. Surprisingly. I think it was just that for once I felt safe. Jason…there's something about him, I don't know what, but he's a good man. I didn't know there were any good men. I want to know more._

_ What do you think, Jade? I'm not one to ask, but this is something I'm no expert in. Even Lindsay tells me I should give it some time, just get to know the guy and see what happens. I don't know. The way he looks at me, at first I thought he pitied me, but there's something else. I don't want to say he cares about me, but if he didn't, why would he-is it worth reminding myself that I don't know everything? That I'm confused? _

_ I look forward to your next letter. Tell mom I'm still thinking about her. God, I swear I'm grateful for Lindsay's presence, she makes all this anxiety bearable. Jason too, I guess. I'm with Tori on this, do everything you can…don't give up on us…now that I got myself all worked up, I'm going to go spar and get rid of all this emotion. It's making me sick. _

Jade started to laugh. She recognized the confusion Trina felt towards Jason. Perhaps it was the first time Trina had been attracted to anybody, or maybe it was the first time she'd given any serious thought to relationships.

She hoped that Trina would pursue these thoughts and feelings she had, because if Jason did care, it could lead to something remarkable and great.

"I guess I'll have to write to them." Anything to keep her mind off the earlier fight. It was tempting to call Beck and see how he was, but she had to keep in mind Sikowitz's words and give him some time to cool off.

The sisters were both clearly vulnerable, and to different degrees. Trina was having a harder time adjusting to being away, it seemed, while Tori may be the one having a harder time adjusting to the possibility that freedom was in sight.

It made sense, considering Tori was the one who lived her entire life in captivity. She didn't know what freedom was. That much was clear from the final sentences in Trina's message:

_Before I go, I want to say something more. One of the last memories I have-the good ones. Mom, Dad, Tori and I are at a park. Mom and Dad are on the bench, and mom's got Tori in her arms. I'm playing with Dad's shoe-it's funny, I don't even know why I was so amazed by it. He'd just had it polished, I guess, because I seem to think it was so bright. I remember there were times I'd run off to get something, and every time, mom and dad would tell me not to go too far._

_ I remember another time, I really wanted this toy. It was a life-sized Pikachu doll. I wanted it so badly that I begged mom and dad to buy it for me. I look back on that memory and think, would it really have been worth it? I never got that doll…_

_ I blame myself so much, but I was a little five year old girl. We lived in the suburbs, didn't make a lot of money. I was a daddy's girl, and I knew Tori would grow up close to mom. _

_ Did I need that stupid doll? Why did I even want it? Jade. If something were to happen. If something happens to my mom, or to my dad…I don't even want to think about what'll happen. Jason's here now, says I'm late to train. I can barely write now. Jason says I don't have to spar if I don't feel like it, but I want to._

There were teardrop stains on the page, and Jade found herself struggling to read the final few sentences. She wanted to tell Trina it wasn't her fault, she was just a little kid and couldn't have known a bad person was waiting in the shadows.

"I should call Sikowitz." Her voice trembled as the letter fell from her grasp. "I should tell him to make that arrest. We have enough…to at least charge David with kidnapping. Hell, sexual assault-the damn man let his pride and anger take that picture and send it."

David could be brought down. He could be made to talk, even. She thought on an investigation she researched recently, the one of a serial killer in Texas. They put a picture of one of his victims down in front of him, knowing it was the one that they couldn't connect him to, and then they said nothing.

All the while, the killer was looking at the photo, slowly becoming unhinged. Psychologically the killer had to be wondering why they weren't saying anything about the girl, throughout the entire questioning.

Perhaps she could use this method. Regardless of what happened, she desperately wanted to bring down the monster. Lanie and Rebecca would get their day as well, but after reading these letters, it was clear which of the three caused the most damage to the family.

The girls remembered her promise, and she was going to keep it to the best of her ability. Failure was no option. Sure there would be cases in the future that she couldn't solve, suspects she couldn't catch, but this was _not_ to be one of those times.

* * *

><p>I will say the method at the very end is actually a technique that Dr. Paddack said was used by an investigator questioning the serial killer Faryion Wardrip. They asked him if they knew the victim-trying to see if they could get a connection since it was the one victim they didn't have a connection. He said no, but they left the photo and he kept staring, and his demeanor was changing. Now, tell me your thoughts about this chapter. Two different focus points here, Robbie and Beck both appear to be at boiling points, so what do you think's going on there? Also, what are your thoughts about the individual letters from Tori and Trina? Do you think there's some growth there for the girls?<p> 


	23. Questioning the Suspect

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 23 (Questioning the Suspect)<p>

Jade was able to join Detectives Mark and Velma once they were granted a warrant to search the Vega household. Gary approved his team's involvement, albeit reluctantly, but he was desperate to have this solved.

"Thanks for letting me observe." The reason she was there was to learn. Sikowitz informed her she couldn't touch anything, and was only allowed to watch and see how a search investigation went.

The detectives wore gloves and special covering for their shoes, and their movements were slow so3they could truly cover every inch of the places they looked. "There's clear proof of kidnapping," Velma stated while acknowledging Jade's gratitude. "Holly's been granted protective custody, but I wish she'd take it. Gary's beside himself right now. I know Holly's concerned something will happen."

"There isn't much we can do about that," Mark replied. "If she doesn't want to take it, we can't make her. Still, she's a hostage, and I'm looking forward to arresting this monster."

Jade agreed with a nod and walked into David's study. She'd never seen this room in its fullness. "You know those pictures of the girls at the store?" Mark and Velma followed her. "Holly knows she's being followed. I think David took the picture. Kept it up for his own vanity."

She watched Velma open a drawer and became concerned when the woman's face twisted in horror. "He's kept records too." She walked over and saw an open manila folder that was labeled 'reality'. There was a note, presumably to himself, as a reminder that this family wasn't his real family and not only did he acknowledge that he hurt them, but that they would never be happy with him.

One of the many things in the folder was the very picture of Trina lying on the ground and in the arms of her mother and sister. She felt her stomach churn and looked away quickly. She heard Mark take a breath, then looked up as he reached into the drawer.

"We could appreciate that he has kept records," Mark muttered, "I can see why the Captain didn't want us getting involved in this. God, to think his daughter…hurt by that demon."

"Statutory," Velma whispered, "We have the bastard." The woman shuffled through some papers in the folder and furrowed her brow. "Letters, notes, some addressed to and from the Commander. She's been keeping him safe all this time."

"Do you think she knew what he'd done?"

"I'm going with no." Jade perked her ears up and saw Velma holding up a letter. The woman's eyes scanned the words and she read it aloud. "'I said I don't want to talk about it, Becca. I done something rash, something terrible. You and Lanie wouldn't be happy, I think, but I said I don't want to talk about it. It isn't important-it shouldn't be important. It is important, but if I don't think about it, then it didn't happen. Right? I showed Gary, I wanted him to hurt-to suffer. I was so angry. Don't ask me what I did, I don't want to talk about it.'"

Jade scoffed loudly and crossed her arms. "Something to consider during questioning." The detectives glanced at her and she shrugged. "We could bring Mrs. Oliver in for questioning. Say we place that picture down in front of her and just let her see it without saying anything about it."

Fortunately they didn't have to bring Rebecca in, because they received a call from Detective Sam Valentine saying the woman ended up walking into the station. Clearly Beck managed to make her turn herself in after all, even if it was days late.

Jade stood at the observation window with the detectives, analyzing Rebecca before anyone went in to see her. "Want to see how police questioning goes, kid?" Mark asked with a smirk. Jade looked up at him and huffed.

"I'd like to question her myself if I could, but I'm guessing I can't."

"Nah, we can't let you do that, I'm afraid. But you're free to observe."

"I figured."

Rebecca was already unhinged. Her once pristine hair was no longer groomed and in a frizzled mess. Her clothes were sloppy and smudged with stains from sweat and coffee. Her body was trembling violently, and her cheeks stained with tear streaks.

Jade pursed her lips and they vibrated from a hum. "You said she's no longer the Police Commander?" Mark hooked his thumbs over his belt and chuckled.

"That's right. Everyone investigated her conduct, but the stress got to her. She resigned before the Chief could give her a pink slip."

"I see." Jade took the photograph from a nearby desk and handed it to Mark. "I saw this done in a documentary. Place the photo down in front of her…say nothing about it. She's emotional, and this may make her more so…if she can, she might say something to implicate either David or Lanie-and what we really want is Lanie."

Mark took the picture and shook his head. "Got it." The man rubbed his chin and looked at Rebecca closely. "Velma. You should take this, I think." Velma glanced over and nodded before taking the picture and walking to the door.

Jade was puzzled by this, she thought for sure Mark would do the questioning. "How come you don't do the questioning?"

"It's a matter of criminal profiling and psychology." Mark leaned back against the desk and folded his arms. "Certain people may respond better to certain people. In the case of Rebecca, she appears that she may respond better to a female who can come across as compassionate and interested in her. As she is an emotional wreck right now, compassion will be the best thing to reach her. Velma is the best with that."

"Oh. I understand."

He was right, from Jade's last talk with Rebecca, the woman truly did respond to somebody taking an interest in her. In which case, compassion and interest would achieve the most results.

Inside, Velma set a folder down in front of her and made eye contact with Rebecca. "Rebecca Oliver? Just relax, dear, this will only take a moment. Nothing bad is going to happen here, all I want to do is ask you a few questions. Okay?" Velma smiled and Rebecca's body slowly ceased its violent tremor.

"O-Okay?"

"You wanted to talk to us, if I recall." Rebecca moved her hand up to the side of her face and closed her eyes. "I know you used to be the Police Commander. What happened there?"

"I resigned. I…I wasn't fit for that position. My son. He hates me now. My husband can't stand me." Rebecca leaned forward and brought her hands up to her chest.

"You have to understand, family's important to me. I've always valued my family, I love them. Nothing I've ever done has been intended to hurt them."

"Normally I wouldn't do anything to hurt somebody, to tear apart the image of a happy and loving family. I-" Rebecca stopped herself and watched as Velma casually placed the photograph of Trina on the table and pushed it forward. Jade saw the woman's eyes grow and was amazed to see her tense and stumble over her words. "What is this?"

"That?" Velma leaned back and folded her hands over on the table. "That is picture." Rebecca whimpered and whined frustratingly before pointing her hand to it.

"I can see that."

"It is a girl who was sexually assaulted a little over three years ago. The image was sent to her father. To keep him quiet, I assume." Rebecca's voice cracked and she started to shake again. "But you mentioned your son, your husband, and a happy family? Tell me more about them. I'd love to hear about this happy family of yours."

Jade whistled under her breath and heard Mark's proud chuckle. "He-He was never meant to hurt them. He wasn't supposed to." Rebecca's hand slid down to her lips, covering them as she let out a startled cry.

"You know the girl in the picture?"

"N-No. Er, yes, or I don't know. Oh god!" The woman dropped her head into her hands and a loud wail echoed in the air. "Holly's baby. David hurt Holly's baby. It wasn't supposed to be this way. It was never supposed to be this way."

"What wasn't supposed to be this way? I am not here to judge you." Rebecca lifted her head slowly. Her lips quivered and her eyes filled with fresh tears. "Would you like some water? I can get you a drink if you'd like. I have half of a ham and cheese sandwich that is in the mini fridge beside my desk. I can get someone to grab that for you if you'd like to have something to eat."

"You could?"

"Certainly."

Mark leaned back and snapped his fingers at Detective Franklin. "Pete, go grab that sandwich." Peter nodded and rushed off.

Rebecca set her hand to her stomach and looked down. "I…I think I'd like that. It might calm my nerves. But I might want a bucket first." Velma pointed to an empty trash can nearby, then left the questioning room.

Jade watched this tactic with a sense of admiration. Rebecca was left alone with the photograph. She was studying it closely, and with each second that passed, her sobs and trembling grew worse until she leaned over the trashcan.

She had to look away as the woman vomited. When Rebecca finished, she could be heard calling David a bastard and saying she wasted ten years trying to let him live the fantasy of having an ideal family.

When Velma returned, Rebecca grabbed the sandwich and pushed the photograph forward. She'd been gone for a while and Jade wondered what she'd been doing until Gary walked into the observation room.

Jade looked up to see the man leaning against the wall. His arms were in his pockets and his uniform jacket hung over his arms like a cape. "Velma says this woman's about ready to talk. I want to hear her say it. I want to see a confession, if anything. I like the whole 'be a friend' method, but if it were me in there…"

"That's why you're not in there," Mark replied earnestly. "You're too close to this, Gary."

"I know."

"W-We stole them," Rebecca whispered. Jade looked back and saw Gary's arms fall at his sides. His face went long and his eyebrows curved down in the middle. "David. Alwayspining for Holly, he wanted a family but she never gave him the time of day. Then she went for Gary, and Gary had everything. Together they had the perfect family, they had the dream family. I know what that's like-I had that too until recently."

"Until recently? What happened recently?"

"My son. He said to me 'I know, mom'. He said to me, he wants nothing more to do with me. My husband…he wants to leave me. I love my baby, I love my son, Lanie said she'd hurt him if I told." Rebecca put her hand on the photograph, then pulled it away as if the photo were fire. "I…I never knew David did this. He wanted a family, he wanted what Gary had. He wanted…He wanted that life."

"And you gave him that life?"

"He didn't want Lanie. Holly was 'expendable', Holly pissed Lanie off already, so we took her. Lanie said David could have his fantasy and we'd take care of Gary." Rebecca looked up to Velma and cleared her throat. "Lanie's uncle. Lanie convinced him to promote David, to demote Gary. Then he retired, it was up to me because I was a high enough rank to promote…I wanted to stop caring about him, I wanted away, but I thought Lanie might hurt my baby. I never even thought…that David might hurt Holly's baby."

Gary's head bowed and Jade could hear him uttering under his breath. "Bitch," he said softly, "the bitch has lost her mind." His arms crossed and his muscles tightened as his breathing grew heavy.

"Are you confessing, Mrs. Oliver?"

"You have to believe, I was younger then." Rebecca gasped out and clutched her chest. "It's no excuse I know, but…I just, I don't know. Lanie said Holly's life didn't matter, nothing mattered anymore. She hated Holly-I just followed. I love my family, I don't want to lose them."

Gary scoffed angrily and lifted his head. "Wish she'd stop talking about her family." His voice rose and his glare fell on the woman who couldn't hear him. "Or did you forget you took away _my_ family? Too scared to lose your own family, but don't give a shit about taking someone else's family to fulfill a fantasy of some punk with a fucking mental disorder?" He clenched his fists and his voice grew deep and full of hatred. "Twelve years. Twelve fucking years you took my family from me. I hope to fucking hell you _do_ lose yours."

Jade frowned at him and looked away, unwilling to make eye contact with his rage filled gaze. "An eye for an eye, I suppose."

Velma put her hands together and brought them up to her face. Her fingertips touched her nose, and her eyes closed as she let out a slow and calm breath. "Are you telling me Lanie Shapiro is involved in this?"

"Involved?" Rebecca sniffed and slowly wiped her eyes. "She's not just involved, she did everything. It may as well have been her that did this." She pointed at the picture and erupted in a disgusted groan. "I don't know what her problem was. Ever since high school, ever since college. She hated Holly, she was jealous of her I think. Holly got the better of everything-a better life, a better family, a better education."

"Holly Richardson and her girls were lifted from a store parking lot. Can you tell me who it was? Are you willing to cooperate?" Rebecca's eyes grew and her entire body ceased movement.

After several seconds, a violent cry shook the foundation, and Rebecca buried her face into her hands. "It was me. Oh god, it was me." Jade cupped a hand over her mouth and looked over her shoulder to see Gary practically collapse on the ground.

"I coaxed her to my car, then I pushed her in. Then…then I pushed her babies in. Trina screamed and cried, but the little one? She didn't know what was happening." Rebecca hugged herself and screamed frantically as Velma wrote down the statement. "I-I pretended like it wasn't happening, I pretended I wasn't doing anything wrong. I-I hit Holly, I knocked her unconscious so she wouldn't fight me. I held a gun to her when she woke up, told her I'd…told her I'd shoot her babies…"

Jade could feel the rush of anger inside her, and the blood boiling to the top. She knew if her own anger were overflowing so much, Gary would not be handling this well.

Velma lifted her eyes up and gave Rebecca a solemn look. "That sounds fairly harsh for a woman who cares so much about the ideal of family." Jade looked away from the window once more, and to her horror, Gary was gone.

"Oh no."

Just then the door to the questioning room flew open and Gary stepped inside, his eyes were full of anger and his teeth were bared. Rebecca gasped out and Velma twisted around as the man pointed out at her.

"Charge her," Gary ordered, "Charge and book her." Velma turned around with a sigh and Rebecca looked at her with wide eyes.

"I'm under arrest."

"Yes. I will read you your rights." Rebecca closed her eyes and breathed in sharply.

"I see. Everything I said. Use it. I…I want to make a confession. Will my son be protected? Will my husband?" After Velma turned off the video recorder, Gary crossed his arms and met Rebecca's gaze with his own venomous glare.

"They will be," he replied firmly, "But I'll be honest with you. I couldn't give two shits about your family. But the law seeks justice, not vengeance, and I won't let anything happen to your husband or your son." He scrunched his nose and looked away with a scoff. "Clearly. That's more than you can say about my own."

"I-Gary, I-" Tears welled up in Rebecca's eyes and she leaned forward, pleading with him. "Please. It was Lanie." There was something more, but Jade didn't understand what it was. The tone in Lanie's voice was more than simple remorse or even acknowledgement of guilt.

She furrowed her brow and looked over to Mark. "What's going on here? She's talking to him like she knows him. I mean, I know she knew him back in high school, but-"

"They dated," Mark answered. Her jaw dropped as the man approached the observation window. "Briefly, but it happened. Sophomore year, I think he said? For about a month. He said she was clingy and came on way too strong, she had issues and apparently, she still does."

"Save it," Gary growled, "I have nothing to say to you. As if 'sorry' would be enough, and throwing the blame on Lanie? You just said you're the one that took them, unless you lied in your confession."

"No, I just…I'll cooperate with the police. I will!" Lanie shook her head and stared down at the photograph. "I was a police officer once, so I should know…you have enough to arrest him. David. And Lanie? She's done things. I know she's done terrible things. She can't hurt you, she can't hurt Holly. She knows this. She can't do anything if you arrest David…she knows this. She knows her power's slipping. She's already gotten word that her conduct as a judge is being looked at, she's certain people are watching her. There's no way she can do anything right now. Now's the best time to make any arrests."

Gary's eyes darkened as Rebecca leaned forward. "Gary, if I _knew_ what could happen-"

"Oh you knew damn well. You're were closest to Lanie, you even slept with David-whether it was out of pity or some other sick reason, so you knew what they were capable of." He approached the table and jammed his finger down onto the photo. "You think it was just David that was responsible for this?" His voice wavered and Rebecca bowed her head. "You think it was Lanie? You just said you held a gun to her! You aimed a gun at my wife, threatened my children, and delivered them to that lunatic!"

Gary stormed out of the room and reentered the area Jade and Mark were in. "Come on," he growled, "It's time to make an arrest."

"Should we let him do this?" Jade asked quietly. Mark shrugged and shook his head with a sigh.

"We're not going to stop him, and we should be arresting David. I'll do what I can to keep Gary calm…let's just hope David legitimately resists arrest."

"Why?"

"It will be easier to not have to keep Gary from beating the poor son of a bitch up than it would be to keep him from doing so."

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><p>Well, what are your thoughts on the questioning and all? Rebecca sounds a bit hypocritical, and Gary seemed to take things hard, but at least now they have cause and ability to arrest David. A <em>lot<em> was learned in this chapter, and a lot happened.


	24. A Father and Husband: Unleashed

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: For this chapter, I'm going to give Gary's perspective. You'll understand why, I hope. Jade's an observer here, Gary's the one with the most emotional output in this chapter.

* * *

><p>Chapter 24 (Father and Husband: Unleashed)<p>

Jade and Mark remained in the squad car, trusting Gary's promise to remain calm when arresting David. The man hadn't been at the Vega home, and Gary spent up all of his anger on the drive there. Holly informed them that David had gone to some grill and bar, and they found the man sitting out on the restaurant's patio with a bottle of beer.

They parked within earshot and watched as Gary walked up. "Hey David," Gary said upon reaching the man. David looked up slowly and raised an eyebrow at him. "Mind if I sit here?" Gary had to be careful here. He had the power, sure, but he couldn't wave that power in front of David.

"Go for it." David leaned back and pushed his elbow over the top of the chair. "So you must feel vindicated." Gary raised an eyebrow as David brought his bottle up to his lips. "Captain Richardson, now. I'm back to detective. Go figure. I have no more control over you, do I?"

"I guess you don't." David chuckled once and pulled the bottle away. "You still have my wife. She won't go into protective custody, she's concerned about my well-being." Gary slanted his eyes and David smacked his lip.

"Yeah, that's a damn good woman there. You got lucky when she chose you." Gary swept his fingers through his hair and looked away. His stomach twisted with a fire that had grown worse over the years. His gun was at his hip, and it would be so easy for him to reach down and grab it, but he resisted the urge. "She's loyal to a fault and cares more about her family than herself. That's a fine woman."

"Did you ever sleep with her?" It was a question that he was terrified of, but he needed to know. Not for his own sake, but for Holly. He needed to know if this man ever harmed her. David slowly shook his head and hissed out a sigh.

"No. She wouldn't let it happen anyway. She wanted nothing to do with that, and I didn't want to force myself on her like that. A woman that good, she doesn't deserve to have that happen to her."

He clenched his teeth and grabbed his wrist, holding it tightly so as to keep resisting the urge to throw out all his hatred at David. "Yet you forced yourself on my daughter. You took a picture and you sent it to me. Insurance? Vanity? Pride? Why? Why would you do that?"

David bowed his head and closed his eyes. "Gary."

"I want to know." Now it was for himself. This may be the only chance he was going to get to look the devil in the eyes and get an answer. He turned his head to the man and frowned as David looked up at him. "I was your friend once. I helped you, I gave you friends and treated you like a person when so many treated you as an outcast." Tears welled up in his eyes and his hand loosened, then trembled. "What did I ever do to deserve this?"

"Gary, I-"

"What would make you shit on someone that was your friend. No, more than that. What would make you take a man's wife and a man's children…hold them hostage and hang them above that man's head for so long, touting your power over him? What would make you force yourself on a man's daughter and show him a picture? Why, David? Why would you do this to another man?"

He bowed his head and stared at the veins bulging from his hand. "Why me, David?" It was a question he'd asked himself for years, but no amount of shouting at the walls could ever provide such an answer. "What causes a man to do that to another? Let me understand-if there's anything for me to understand."

"Would you like a drink, Gary?"

He lifted his head and shook his hand in the air. "I gave up the drink a year ago." He couldn't stand the smell of alcohol anymore. When he lost Holly and the girls, he did become an alcoholic. After waking up one day to the stains of beer and vomit on the walls, in his floor, and even on the ceiling, he decided to quit drinking himself to death.

Then the picture came, and he started to drink again. This time it was hard liquor, and it nearly killed him. A year ago he found himself praying for death, and in a drunken stupor, he pointed the gun at his chest and fired a shot.

He'd been so drunk that he misplaced the nozzle and wound up holding the gun so crooked that the bullet went into his side and missed the vital areas. A neighbor heard the shot and called the ambulance, and he woke up in the hospital.

"I was in an insane rage," David answered calmly, "I was blind and angry. Tori ran, she went to get help. I was pissed with her." Gary's eyes clenched shut and he crossed his arms, pushing his hands between his arm and armpit. "Trina came at me, defending her sister and calling me all sorts of names-belittling me. She told me I was a weak person, that I wasn't even a man. I wanted to teach both of them a lesson, so I grabbed Trina from behind and pushed her down…I lost it. That's no excuse, I'm sure."

Gary's hand twitched and he jerked his head back slightly. His eyes shot up to the sky and he began praying mentally to keep control. He wasn't one for praying, and certainly not a believer in any benevolent God; but if there was one listening now, he prayed it would keep him from outright killing the man beside him. There was never a time more than now that he wished he left his gun in the car.

"You know, your wife never wanted to get a divorce from you. I didn't push, I'm not sure why. I would have liked to, but she was insistent-then there was Rebecca." Gary raised an eyebrow at him and bit down on his lower lip with enough strength to draw blood. "Rebecca said I shouldn't make her get a divorce. It might look bad, anyway."

"_That_ would look bad?"

David looked towards the sky with a laugh and shook his head. "It's funny."

"What is funny?"

"In high school, in college, I tried so hard to make you like me. I wanted your approval. You were one of the cool guys. I'd hoped that I could gain your approval and we could always be friends." Gary narrowed his eyes and loosened his grip on his wrist. His hand fell beside his gun and his fingers grasped firmly the edge of the seat.

"I guess that turned out as planned." He sneered and David glanced back at him with a shrug.

"Yeah. You hate me now. I see it in Holly's eyes every day too, the same one in yours right now." He held his breath and felt his heart slam into the pits of his stomach. "She'd like to kill me. Every day I wonder if it'll be my last…"

_"You deserve death, you monster. I'd love to put you down myself." _He feigned a sympathetic smile.

"You wanted a family. You wanted what I had, you wanted to be me too didn't you? That image, that dream or fantasy, it isn't working out so well anymore, is it? You've been demoted, I'm a Captain on the police force. The leash you had so tightly wound…it's come off."

"Yeah. You remember Lanie?" David's eyebrows rose and a chuckle fell from his lips. "She's come under scrutiny of government officials higher up than she is. It's even all over the local news. She's probably going to lose her job. I guess things are going to shit for all of us, save for you."

"Me? I still don't have my family. What do I care about my promotion?"

"I guess." David scratched behind his ear. Gary flared his nostrils and glanced down at his hand. His knuckles where white from gripping the seat. His leg was shaking and he was finding it harder to quash the murderous desire inside him.

"Hey Gary?"

His eyes flew to David. "What?" His response came with a growl and his eyes darkened as the sky seemed to turn red. All he could think about now was what David said about his daughter and about his wife.

"You know all those victim advocate programs we have to send victims of crime to? Counselors and stuff?"

"What about?" It wasn't the job of the police to take care of the victim. No, their job was to ensure justice. They could, however, offer the number of their counselors and so on.

"Do you think you'd ever use those?"

"When you told me I wasn't to speak out or someone would hurt my family?"

"Well. I mean it isn't like we know where your parents or even your sister are located right now."

_"As if I'd let you near them, you sick fuck." _He wanted to know why he couldn't put this sick beast down right now. What was stopping him. "Yeah they moved. You still have my wife, dumbass."

"Yeah, but I don't hold power over you anymore, do I?"

"No." Gary separated his lips, revealing his bared teeth as a mad dog might do. "You don't. You're just a lowly detective now, and I fear not Lanie or Rebecca."

"Well, you probably should be a little afraid of Lanie. She can't do anything right now because she thinks people are watching her every move, but yeah, you're suddenly more powerful than I am."

"Mad dogs and diseased animals should never have power, Dave." He fantasized about this moment; the moment he could point his gun at David and declare himself to be taking his family back, before promptly blowing the man's brains on the floor.

A heroic moment for a storybook, but this was reality, and reality separated him from a cold blood killer. It separated him from people like David, or Lanie and Rebecca.

Reality was what made him a father, and when all of this was said and done, Tori and Trina were going to need their father. They would want their father. Holly would want her husband, she'd want him as he'd want to be with her.

With a sigh, he relaxed his muscles and reached to the handcuffs hanging behind his gun. His eyes flickered to a man standing at a phone booth down the street. It was Mr. Sikowitz, and he was watching. Approving. Jade was now standing beside him; perhaps she had called the man to be present.

Sikowitz understood. Gary _needed_ to be the one to make this arrest. No one else could do it-it wouldn't feel right. For himself, it had to be him.

"Do you want to kill me, Gary? Could you ever forgive me?"

"Kill you, yes I've wanted to kill you for a long time."

David chuckled and took another sip of his beer. "Bluntness isn't a trait you lack." Gary shrugged at him and unhooked the handcuffs.

"I suppose I've got you to thank for that." He set the cuffs in his lap and cleared his throat. David turned his head to make eye contact, then lowered the beer bottle to the table. "David, you're a cop. We both wanted to be one back in the day, and you remember, we used to recite the Miranda Rights with one another. Do you remember them?"

"Yeah. I know them. I know my rights."

"One last time. Would you recite them with me, so I can be certain."

People mistook the Miranda warnings as something that must be read immediately upon arrest. While he wished to do them now, they were only something that had to be discussed when starting to question a person.

All that truly had to be said upon immediate arrest was the standard: "You are under arrest for…"

"I will." David stood up and frowned. "Shoot."

"You have a right to remain?"

"Silent…" David slowly turned around and Gary stood up. His hand brushed over his holstered gun and he closed his eyes as the wind blew through his hair and against his face, relieving his angered and savage nerves.

"What will happen to that which you say and do?"

"It can be used against me in the court of law."

"Good." He took David's right hand and pulled it back behind him. "What do you have the right to, David? And what happens if you cannot afford this?" David rolled his head to the right and dropped his shoulders.

"An attorney, Gary. One will be provided assuming I can't afford one myself."

Gary felt a moisture on his cheeks and quickly wiped away his tears. "And at anytime you wish to exercise these rights and cease further questionings, can you?" His heart struck him hard, and a sharp pain spread throughout his body as he proceeded to bring down David's left arm.

"Yes."

"David Vega." He slapped the cuff over David's right wrist, watching it lock into place. His eyes drifted up and past the man, locking with Mr. Sikowitz. "I hereby place you under arrest for kidnapping, hostage-taking, sexual assault of a minor…"

"When I asked you earlier if you were able to forgive?"

"I'm a long way from forgiving you. You destroyed me and everything I held dear, 'old friend'. Now, do you acknowledge the charges against you, and do you request a lawyer for questioning?"

"I do, on all accounts."

"Good." He walked David to the patrol car and opened the door.

"Never thought I'd see the back of one of these."

"Long time coming." He put his hand to the back of David's head and narrowed his eyes. "Watch your head." It felt good to finally be the one in control and to no longer have anything holding him back. His daughters were safe and he could finally be with his wife-and now, he was arresting the man responsible.

It wasn't over yet, not by a long shot. But for him, the hardest part of his life felt like it had come to an end. The weight on his shoulders was gone now, and peace was on the horizon.

"Investigator Sikowitz," He heard David mention, "You hired a private investigator. I'm surprised." He expected that David saw the man, but it didn't faze him. David knew the investigator had a shrewd reputation among the police force. The man didn't look like much, but he was truly more than what met the eye.

Hell, Gary had to hand it to the investigator-hiring a teenage girl seemed insane at first-but now he saw the value of it. "My children needed their father, my wife needed her husband. I'm more surprised you didn't expect that I would find a way to them somehow. It was only a matter of time, David."

"Yeah. I suppose I should have figured you would. The girl standing with him? I knew there was something up with her…I didn't realize I was letting a mini investigator walk around my home."

"I think that was the man's point. Now please." Gary opened his door and narrowed his eyes. "Exercise your right to silence until we reach the station."

* * *

><p>Gary needed to be the one to make that arrest for his own closure, for the emotions and pain that he has dealt with. What are your thoughts? Do you think David would have resisted, or perhaps he knew from the get-go that an arrest was coming? He'll likely be charged, but Gary did well to actually be strong through all that. Lanie's still at large, and two of her cards are in custody.<p> 


	25. Taste of Freedom

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 25 (Taste of Freedom)<p>

While Gary was busy processing David, Jade had gone to the Vega home. She had to check on Holly and hoped to be there until Gary could come. When she arrived, she called her Dad so that he could wait with them. Considering the man knew Holly once, and Holly had known who he was, it was a safe arrangement.

"So you're telling me what?" Holly was seated at the kitchen table, gripping her mug firmly in her hands. Jade told the woman the news about David, but of course, she was still processing it. "David's been arrested?" Shock spread over Holly's face, and her eyes held a note of disbelief. "I can be with my husband?"

"There was enough to arrest him, yes." She wanted to suggest that she and Gary take a trip as well, perhaps to visit his family. Her reasoning was that Lanie was still at large, and while she didn't seem to be making any moves, she was unpredictable. The woman didn't know where to find Gary's family, and they likely needed a little good news as well. "Lanie's still at large, however."

Holly frowned and slowly brought the cup to her lips. Jade folded her right hand over her left and exhaled slowly. "There isn't really anything to arrest her on that implicates her for her involvement in your abduction."

"Oh." The woman's shoulders dropped and her face fell for a bit. Unfortunately Rebecca's statement implementing Lanie as the role of leader in all of this was circumstantial. "So, you're not able to get her?"

"No, it's just not easy." If they could, there was a chance to implicate her for other crimes. "Rebecca turned herself in, and David's off the streets. If you want my opinion, you and Gary should consider taking a trip of your own." Holly raised her eyebrows and leaned back slowly. "Rediscover each other, rekindle what you had and relax. See family and be safe. When you return, when your daughters return, you should be safe. Hopefully the investigation will be complete."

"I don't know. If…If I leave with him, will the girls be able to write to me?"

"If they knew where you were, yes." Jade glanced to the door, eagerly waiting for her dad. "My dad has a cabin in the Caribbean, I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving you and Gary a chance to stay there for a while."

Hell, she already suggested the idea to him. He was reluctant at first, but turned a sympathetic ear to his old friends and said he'd be willing if they accepted.

Holly set the cup down and brought her hand up to her chin, scratching beneath it. "It's a thought. I'm not sure though, but I'll talk to Gary." The man likely had a shit ton of vacation days saved up, considering he was a workaholic that never stopped working.

"Though I think maybe visiting his parents would also be a good idea. They need some good news too, I'm sure."

"But to show up without the girls? Everyone would be upset." Holly brought her hand up to her chin and reclined in her chair. "I'll talk to Gary about it." Holly fell silent and her eyes began to well up with tears. She moved her trembling hands over her mouth and closed her eyes. "Oh god."

Jade leaned forward and reached out, patting the woman's shoulder. "It's okay. You can let it out." A good cry seemed long overdue, especially from this woman who fought to be strong for so long. "What's on your mind?"

"Everything. I just…I can't believe-I can't process that this is really happening." Jade smiled at her and watched the tears flow as waterfalls down her cheeks. "It's been so long, I never thought. Why?" Holly coughed and brought a napkin to her face. "Why was an investigation so fast now when no one could save us before?"

"Because there wasn't a way." Jade pulled away from her and exhaled gently. "The pieces weren't in place. Denise didn't know you were a victim, Lanie was threatening harm to you if she tried to do anything. The minute she found out the truth, she was able to work to tear down the power that kept people under control. Your husband couldn't fight back for obvious reasons…he didn't want something to happen to you or to your daughters. For so long, nobody could do anything."

"So what you're saying is…" Holly chuckled and pressed the napkin firmly under her left eyelid. "Denise was the strongest card to play?"

"Yeah, and we only got to her through Andre." David couldn't have known when Trina brought that kid home from school to work on a project, that he was the son of the one person that could tear everything apart. Without that, without Denise, Jade wasn't sure how well their investigation would succeed.

"Then Beck-Rebecca's son…he learned his mom was doing something really bad. He told her he didn't care about her anymore. Rebecca turned herself in." Holly's eyes widened and her lips parted to let a single sob fall out with a shudder. "She's cooperating with the police. Gary's team is willing to help, and with Gary's promotion, he was able to finally arrest David. After all this time, he was able to do just that."

"I guess your boyfriend's not taking too well his mom's involvement? Does he know that she was the one that-"

"Abducted you and the girls?" Holly closed her eyes and hugged her waist. Jade dropped her gaze and thought on the subject. She was uncertain whether she'd reveal that to Beck or not. She couldn't actually tell him anything about the investigation, so it was one of those details he likely wouldn't be allowed to learn, but even if he could, she would rather spare him that grief.

"No," she whispered, "He can't know that anyway. It could derail the investigation, or at least cause some problems." It would be likely that the crimes would reveal themselves in the pending trial, and it was very likely the media was going to play this out. Beck may choose not to even bother with the trial for the stress of having his mother there.

The doorbell rang, pulling them both from their new quiet state. Holly got up to answer and Jade smiled when she saw her dad in the doorway. Holly recognized him in an instant and seemed surprised. "Henry West? Here to pick up your daughter?"

"She actually asked that I be here," Henry remarked. Holly turned her head and Jade shrugged.

"Well I thought it would be more comforting." She stood up and motioned to her father while maintaining eye contact with the woman. "Plus, he's an old friend of yours, right?" Henry ran his hand over the back of his neck and shook his head.

"Gary's friend, more. I hardly spoke to Holly. But if you think my being a familiar face will help with anything?"

Holly turned back to him and shrugged. "It's nice to see someone that doesn't want to hurt me or my children. Once in a while, at least. Come in, Henry."

"Thank you." Henry made his way into the home and looked around. "How are your children doing?" Holly shut the door and leaned back against the wall. Her arms slid across her chest and her body started to relax.

"They're good. Better now." She bowed her head and chuckled. "Everything's going to be better now." Her left arm fell to her side and her right hand moved up over her left shoulder. She closed her eyes and moved her head back against the wall. "Still. It doesn't feel real."

"I'm afraid I don't really know much. I know Jade told me what happened to you was a result of something Lanie did. I always wondered why those girls hated you so much."

"With Lanie?" Holly opened her eyes and scoffed. "It was never one thing, but a number of things. Even I don't know, all I care about is getting out of here. So much of my life, of my girls' lives, lost…"

"I know it isn't much, but I am sorry for what you went through." He made his way to the table and Holly sighed. "I wish I had known sooner."

"Yeah. That's actually what Denise said too. She…was receiving threats and didn't come looking for me because she thought Lanie would do something to me or my family-she didn't realize that already happened." Holly's eyes drifted to Jade, and upon reaching her, Jade straightened herself and sat proudly. "I guess I underestimated Sikowitz's plan. I thought hiring a teenager was stupid, something that wouldn't even help…but it did."

"It's not over yet," Jade admitted, "There's still Lanie. She's close to losing her position, her power's waned, so we can most likely get a search warrant. We still need a judge that doesn't have history with her." Henry snapped his fingers and Jade glanced over to her father.

"I can help with that." She furrowed her brow and Henry started to grin. "You know when I go play billiards down at the pool hall on Saturdays? One of the guys that plays there is a judge. I…may have mentioned Lanie's name, and he went on to say some negative things about her. The man didn't like her at all, so I think if you went for him, you'd have no problems getting a warrant."

The statement shocked her, though she wasn't sure if it was appropriate to ask why the man didn't care for Lanie. "Does Lanie have that many enemies or something?" She heard Holly chortle and saw her father shrug.

"I don't know. The man blamed her for his son going into debt or something. I want to suppose they dated, but she's been married for a long time, hasn't she?"

"She's a bitch," Holly muttered, "She doesn't care who she walks on." Henry frowned and nodded once. She took a deep breath and pushed her hands forward on the table, then pat her left with her right. The air grew still and calm, and no one dared to speak for the longest time.

Jade watched Holly, wanting to see if she could figure what was on the woman's mind. Holly's chest was moving slowly and her right hand was now up and fidgeting with the ends of her hair. She was gazing at the walls of the home with tension in her features and a somber gaze.

"I never thought I'd be happy to leave this place." She bowed her head and let out a vain, sorrowful chuckle. "I'd love to see it burn to the ground. So many things happened-how does it get any better?"

Henry answered, to Jade's amazement. "It doesn't." Holly looked up at him, her lower lip pushed forward and seemed to tremble for just a moment. "I'm a psychologist, and I always tell my clients…" Henry's eyes closed and he slowly shook his head. "You can never go back and change the past."

There was a light knock at the door and everyone looked with baited breath as it slid open. When Jade saw Gary on the other end, his hand on the knob and his eager eyes searching for Holly, she felt a rush of pride shoot from her heart.

Holly straightened her posture and blew out a heavy breath. Henry smiled at her and made eye contact with the surprised man at the door. "But regardless of the past," he continued, "You move forward. You grow, you become strong again, and you rebuild."

"It's done," Gary said. "David's in holding, he can't hurt you anymore-can't hurt the girls anymore." A sudden, sobbing gasp fell from the woman's lips and she made her way to him. Her arms slid around his neck and she set her head on his shoulder as he hugged her close. "Lanie's still out there, but they're saying they might have something on her."

"I don't care anymore," Holly whimpered, "I don't care about her." Jade leaned forward over the table and clasped her hands together while watching the couple. She felt someone's arm around her shoulders and looked up to see her father looking to her with pride. A smile spread across her face and she glanced back to the couple. "Just take me away from here, Gary."

"I've been waiting for you to say that."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything." The woman's body trembled as her sobs echoed into the air. Gary tightened his embrace on her and moved his left hand up to Holly's hair, sliding his fingers slowly through them.

"Don't apologize for anything. If anyone's to blame-"

"Neither of you should blame yourself," Henry remarked. The man cleared his throat as Holly and Gary looked to him. "Wasn't your fault. Everything that happened to you? Jealousy, greed, hatred, lust…it all comes from the people who hurt you."

"You two should take a trip," Jade suggested once more. Holly's hands slid down to Gary's chest and her lips slid into a tiny smile. Gary's eyebrows rose and he looked to his wife with loving eyes. "Just spend some time together, be ready for your girls to come home from their trip as well."

"We can be a family again," Holly said softly, "All of us?"

"I mean it'll take some time to heal but I think you can. Dad's probably willing to offer some counseling services too." She shot a sly grin towards her dad and he chuckled.

"Well." Henry rubbed his neck and smiled at his old friends. "It's the least I can do, I suppose. "My daughter's right, you should spend some time together-and some time away from this place." He approached them and maintained eye contact. "Let the investigators handle the rest."

Gary bowed his head, then turned to Holly. "It's hard to believe we even reached this point." He kissed the top of her head and she came to rest under his chin, sighing and relaxing the muscles in her body. "I have vacation days that I've never used up. Holly, you name the place, and I'll be more than happy to take you there."

Holly's brow furrowed and she turned her head up to her husband. "But when the girls come back, I want to take another vacation. All of us. Maybe then, we can see your family?"

"I think that sounds like a plan. I've not been able to keep in touch with them much. I've talked to them a few times over the years, though, I think they'd be happy to see you and the girls again."

Jade brought her right hand up and perched her chin on top of it. She was a little surprised to hear Gary say that, but yet, she understood if he felt he couldn't find a way to explain the situation he was in.

His relatives would have an answer now, that was certain. Once the trials began, it was likely that the media was going to catch on.

"Come on," she said while pushing herself away from the table. She walked around it, sliding her hand along the glossy surface one last time. She approached the couple and reached up, setting her hands on their backs. "We should leave this place. If there's anything left here that you want out, maybe have someone retrieve things for you?"

Holly sniffed and turned away from the room. "I'll worry about it later," she said.

* * *

><p>I don't think we'll prolong this by showing the trials. Things will wrap fast probably but once Lanie's dealt with we might be seeing the end soon after. Anyhow, what are your thoughts through this chapter? Will their going on a trip be a good idea? I'm kind of stuck between whether or not they see Gary's parents now or later. The case itself is high profile, which means it will likely be nationally aired, so regardless of when they see his parents-the parents will clearly know. Holly's parents are long gone, obviously.<p> 


	26. Sisters' Slow Growth

Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:I thought I'd already posted this, but evidently not, so here's chapter 26. Still working on trying to get ahead, the end is in sight

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><p>Chapter 26 (Sisters' Slow Growth)<p>

While waiting on Beck to come to her place, Jade positioned herself on her bed with the next bit of letters she received from Tori and Trina. She was truly looking forward to seeing where they were at now, since the letters seemed to be getting better with each time she read them.

In the last ones sent, Tori was going on and on about a simple drive to the next checkpoint, where they were driving past mountains. She'd never seen such things before and couldn't believe how magnificent they were. They also stopped by a fishery at one point, and Tori felt the need to include every detail of what she learned in her letter.

Even Trina seemed somewhat happier in her writing-if not a tad dazed and confused. Her attraction to Jason had grown, and according to Trina, she had no idea what to do about it. The poor girl never gave serious thought to relationships and had asked for Jade's advice on what was to be expected in them.

So she told her: Relationships with someone else just means you can share a part of your life with someone you care about and trust, who cares about you as well. She told Trina that relationships take time to build that trust, but they can be the best thing to have in life.

Curious to see how Trina reacted to her advice, Jade opened her letter first. She crossed her legs and slid down her headboard while unfolding the stapled pages. The scent of perfume hit her hard and drew her eyes to a quickly scribbled note at the top corner of the page: _Forgive the perfume, Jade. Lindsay was showing me this bottle of perfume she sent me and sprayed it on my hand. My papers and my hand now smell like ocean breeze…_

Jade laughed and breathed in the scent. It was truly a faint smell, but somehow there was just enough to be detected. She swept her hand through her hair, tucking it over her left ear, then dropped her gaze to the start of the letter.

_So it has been close to a month now, I think? I still can't beat Jason in a sparring match. He says I've got to much pent up anger and stuff that I can't focus. He told me that I need to learn how to relax and think clearly so then I can maintain a stronger focus._

Jade chuckled at the impatient tone of the letter. She looked to her right, where she had brought in a bowl of pretzel snacks. After grabbing a handful, she turned back to the letter and thought on Trina's impatience.

It was almost amusing to see, but she agreed with Jason, Trina would have to calm her own nerves and emotions if she wanted to focus more.

Of course, the tone of the writing seemed to shift now, and Jade could almost picture Trina speaking with a slower and softer voice. It was nice to see, though interesting to see that this time as she skipped ahead, the entire letter appeared to approach Jason as the subject. Some of Trina's letters focused on other matters, this was the first where Jason seemed to be a predominant thought.

She was growing, and that was what mattered most.

_ I guess I shouldn't be surprised, right? He's more experienced than I am. He…Jason knows his stuff, though. He's not trying to be better than me, he isn't waving it in my face or anything like that, I think he genuinely cares about getting me to be a better fighter. I don't know. Jason said he was like me once, where he thought fighting meant attacking-but martial arts is about being a defender, a protector, and not a fighter. _

_ That man can be cryptic sometimes. I can't get him to talk much about himself, but sometimes I want to know. I saw him the other day, practicing by himself. You know we're in like an old castle-looking place? I mean we've got the standard battlements and all that stuff, well I was walking along and he was on the outside. By the lake. His movements were fluid, but what I saw, he didn't have his shirt on and he had these ugly scars. _

_ Where are those from? Who hurt him, I wonder? I want to ask him. _

_ You said in your last letter, a relationship involves two people who care about each other. I care about him, does that mean we could have a relationship? I don't even know why I'm thinking about that. I know, or I don't know, I don't want to be alone._

_ All the things I've been through, Jade? I don't want to let that keep me from being happy, but what if I can't? What if, what if I can't endure it? _

_ I'm scared. I still have nightmares. They're better when I'm with him. He seems to understand, but I haven't told him anything. I can't help but to feel like he's been through something terrible himself._

_ Anyway, I did tell him I'd like to talk to him outside of the whole training thing. Just to get to know him a little bit, like you suggested. He said okay. When I'm done writing this, he and I are going to maybe go for a walk outside the main campgrounds and just talk. I'll ask him about the scars then._

It was around that area of the letter that Jade noticed tiny spots-likely where Lindsay ended up spraying the perfume. There was also a break in the writing. She could hardly focus on it with her own emotions-she was starting to tear up as she read because she'd never seen Trina so vulnerable before.

It was a lot to lay out, she knew, and she was grateful that Trina appeared to trust Jade enough to let her know a little of what was going on.

_On another note, I'm glad the investigation seems to be going well. Mom says in her letters that she thinks she'll get to be with dad again. Good. Mom deserves to be happy. So does Tori. Me? I'm not sure, but I feel happier. Sometimes I wonder if that's a good thing, or even if it'll last._

_ There was another thing you said in your last letter. About relationships and stuff like that. It's that through the companionship you don't have to be alone, and two people can make each other happy. If mom and dad can be happy, and make each other better-and then the letters I get from Tori, Ian has been instrumental in that._

_ I wonder if that'll happen for me. I wonder if I even deserve it. I…think I'm going to stop here. Jason's probably done with whatever he's working on, and Lindsay's going on about wanting to "fix me up". It's just a simple talk! It's not like Jason and I, well, you know. _

_ I look forward to your next letter._

"You do deserve happiness," Jade whispered. She folded the letter slowly and closed her eyes. She hoped desperately that Trina would be able to find that happiness, because the girl more than earned some. She was a survivor, and she made it out.

Feeling a need to write her thoughts to Trina immediately, she did so before going to Tori's letter. She did so with a heart already wracked with emotion. She wanted to tell them not to worry, that they caught the monster, but she felt like they needed to hear that from their mother.

Not to mention, she shouldn't be the one to reveal information pertinent to investigation. Plus, one monster was still free-even if the real terror was off the streets.

Tori's letter came with a small polaroid photograph inside. When Jade saw it, her heart skipped a beat, and a smile graced her moist cheeks. The photo was of Tori and Ian at some country-western style show. Ian was wearing a brown button up shirt, and a brown cowboy hat that seemed to rest loosely on his head.

Beside him, Tori seemed dressed in similar attire-only with a red shirt and an astonishingly pink hat. She was leaning into Ian and kissing him on the cheek. His lips were closed, but pulled into a bright smile, and his hands seemed folded beneath Tori's.

"Well." Jade took a deep breath and started to chuckle. "I wonder what Gary would have to say to that." The man would be glad his daughters were growing up, that much was certain, but Jade had him pegged as one of those protective fathers that really wouldn't like the idea of their daughters dating a boy they didn't know.

Her heart swelled with an eagerness and desire to learn more about this picture, so she set it on the end table and hurried to read the letter.

_So we're in Durango, and I'm going to start out talking about the picture because it's probably going to be the first thing you see. We went to this fair, where they serve barbeque and have all this other stuff going on._

_ While eating dinner, these four guys get up on stage to perform a song and comedy routine-it was amazing. As you can see, while there, I kissed Ian on the cheek. His mom's friend was taking a picture of us, so just when she went to snap it, I leaned over and kissed him. I couldn't help myself! I'm just excited thinking about it now._

_ Oh his parents were surprised, but no one more surprised than Ian. Hehe, it's really hard to explain in a letter, but I care about him. I know he cares a great deal about me and I like him. A lot. His parents say we should wait until we get home to start dating, but he and I were talking about it and he said he cares about me too. I think, I don't know exactly what it is I feel, but I'm happy with him. He makes me happy, anyway. _

_ It's the first time I've really ever felt this way, I'm almost scared about it. _

There was no denying her impression, she was glad to see Tori wasn't as conflicted or unsure about her feelings as her sister was. Although she understood Trina's reasoning. Both girls needed someone that could be understanding and could care for them, and from the sounds of things, Jason and Ian were those people.

She hoped for the best, that was certain. Both of these letters were great signs for Jade, it showed that both were able to grow and learn. Now, she just hoped they both could see that they deserved the good things that came their way, and the happiness that they were due.

_ So you asked me how my studies were going. Well, I got done studying an Elk. We'll be going through Wisconsin and so forth, and we'll be staying at the Grand Tetons for a bit, so my teacher wanted me to brush up on Elks. We'll continue studying them when we're at the place, but I'm excited for a chance to see one live and in person!_

_ Ian's dad was looking through some plants, you should have seen this, he was trying to figure out what one kind was…My teacher said, after she spent about a minute laughing, that it was poison ivy. The poor man is now covered up with creams and has to take some medicine, but he's doing okay. He told us he was glad never to have decided to become a botanist._

_ Also, when we reach the top of the country, we're going to see Yellowstone! Oh my god I'm so excited about this! I'm not happy about the amount of tourists we're going to run into, since I don't do well with crowds, but this is amazing. I can't wait to tell Mom, Dad, and Trina all about this trip. _

_ We'll be heading East after that. There are some states we're not going to stop in because Mrs. Dennison says they have the same environment as some places we've already been to. However, she told us to expect a chance of scenery as we start making our way in that direction._

_ We will be stopping in New York when we get to that point. It made me think, Mom talks about our grandparents. Dad's parents. They're in New York. I…I've never met them before. _

_ I hope one day to see them. I would love that. Mom's parents aren't around anymore. I never met them either. Trina only has memories of them, so, I really want to see them. Dad also has a sister, somewhere in the country. So. Trina and I have an aunt, an uncle-cousins. _

_ I…I have to go now, we're about to get back on the road, and I get to cuddle up with Ian. Times with him are sometimes the best moments on this trip._

She pulled the letter away with a sigh and looked to her bedroom door. "They are growing," she said to herself, "but they have a way to go." Certainly the sisters would be able to meet their other relatives. Now that things were moving in a good direction, that family would be ready to see them.

There was a knock that interrupted her thoughts, so she shook herself and smiled when she saw Beck slowly entering. "Hey," he stated with a heavy breath, "What are you up to?"

"Reading letters, and responding." Beck sat on the edge of the bed and smiled at her. There was a somberness that reflected in his eyes, and a seriousness in his expression. "What about you? Is everything okay?"

"For the most part, yes. Dad and I aren't seeing eye to eye on a few things though." He cleared his throat and pointed to the letter she was gripping in her fingers. "Did you reply to that one yet?"

She glanced down and pressed her lips together. "No. I was about to." Her attention returned to Beck and the corners of her mouth lifted up. "Give me a moment?"

He stretched himself out on the bed, lying flat on his back. "Sure." His hands moved behind his head and he closed his eyes. "How are they doing, by the way?"

"They'll be okay, I think. They're growing. Learning to live."

"Good."

* * *

><p>So we see a lot of good things that are happening for the girls on their respective trips, each are growing and learning to live. Now Jade's almost done with this case. On other news, my professor, Dr. Fields wants me to try and do this creative writing scholarship-not sure if I'm going to.<p> 


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